Two NH Army National Guard units head to Mexican border for 1-year deployment

New Hampshire will be providing two Army National Guard Units for a 1-year deployment due to the crisis at the Southern Border. (Courtesy photo)

CONCORD - This afternoon, Governor Chris Sununu will attend and deliver remarks at a New Hampshire National Guard Deployment ceremony, where two units will be deployed to the southern border.

"New Hampshire is grateful for the heroic men and women of our National Guard," said Governor Chris Sununu. "They answered the call to serve during the COVID pandemic, and are now answering our nation's call -- deploying to the ongoing humanitarian crisis along our southern border. As these brave men and women deploy, New Hampshire stands by our National Guard and we wish everyone a safe and speedy return home."
New Hampshire will be providing two Army National Guard Units for a 1-year deployment.
Approximately 44 soldiers from the 941st Military Police Battalion HQ will be deployed to provide command and control over four subordinate units "companies" from New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Illinois and Kentucky numbering about 500 soldiers in total. Their sector covers around 250 miles of border extending to the Gulf of Mexico. This is the unit's first deployment.
Approximately 120 solders from the 237th Military Police Company will be deployed to primarily surveillance sites along the border. Soldiers are prohibited from being in contact with illegal migrants but notify CBP of any border crossing to primarily stem the flow of people and illicit drugs, weapons and money. The unit last deployed to Afghanistan in the 2012-2013 timeframe.
Both units supported the state's COVID-19 response efforts, aided the Department of Corrections, were activated for civil disturbance responses and supported hospitals during the surge.
A previous New Hampshire National Guard unit deployed to the southwest border from October 2020 through November 2021 helped result in 207,320 assisted apprehensions, $893 million in illegal drug seizures, and 20 migrant lives saved.