Larry W Wilbanks

Use of National Guard Assets for Counterdrug Operations in the War on Drugs Larry W Wilbanks

Publisher Marketing: This study explores the continued use of the National Guard in support of drug law enforcement agencies (DLEAs) and community based organizations (CBOs) in counterdrug operations. The National Guard, or milita, has been involved since its founding in what senior military leadership today calls non-traditional missions or military operations other than war (MOOTW). Civil support is not new for the National Guard, and neither is counterdrug operations. The National Guard has been involved in counterdug operations since 1977, and this role increased after President Reagan declared a "War on Drugs" in 1983, involving all of DOD. The use of the National Guard to provide domestic support to DLEAs and CBOs has grown into a mission that is relied upon by the DLEAs to perform their mission, and is mutually beneficial to the National Guard and the supported agencies. The National Guard provides countless hours of manpower support, and loans advanced technological equipment, which enhances the DLEAs as they perform their mission. The National Guard also benefits in this support because the missions enforce the skills necessary to perform their wartime mission. This study acknowledges the difficulty in measuring the success of National Guard involvement, but its continued participation is necessary to domestically protect the security of the United States.