FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Editor's Note: This press release was updated on May 2, 2025, to reflect the second national defense area as the Texas National Defense Area.
PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. – A second National Defense Area has been established by the Department of the Army along the southern border in Texas. The Texas National Defense Area (TXNDA) is now part of the U.S. Army Fort Bliss installation. Joint Task Force – Southern Border service members under U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) will be operating in the TXNDA with the same authorities and tasks as those operating in the previously announced New Mexico National Defense Area (NMNDA), supporting installation security operations.
“The establishment of a second National Defense Area increases our operational reach and effectiveness in denying illegal activity along the southern border,” said Gen. Gregory Guillot, Commander, U.S. Northern Command. “This is the second area in which Joint Task Force – Southern Border service members who are already detecting and monitoring through stationary positions and mobile patrols nearby can now temporarily detain trespassers until they are transferred to an appropriate law enforcement entity.”
USNORTHCOM continues serving as the Department of Defense’s operational lead in support of executive orders on border security.
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