A Job for the Border Patrol

The job of the military is to be ready to fight wars against foreign enemies that threaten the nation’s security. Interpreting that mandate broadly, the House last summer approved a proposal to assign 10,000 soldiers to anti-drug patrol duties along the 2,000-mile border with Mexico. It was an ill-conceived idea, a product of frustration over inconclusive battles waged against drug smugglers rather than a careful assessment of how military resources should best be used. When the House this week passed the 1998 defense authorization bill, the proposal to use ground troops in the war against drugs had wisely been dropped from it.

Credit Senate opposition--and a cooler appreciation of what the military is all about--for that outcome. The military trains for specific missions. Taking on tasks best left to Border Patrol agents is not one of them. Combat training is also a continuing process. Interrupt it by diverting troops to what are essentially police duties and military effectiveness suffers. The end of the Cold War has seen U.S. troop strength shrink to levels that many consider troublingly low, given the responsibilities imposed by the nation’s global security interests. Those troops must be kept ready to meet potential military threats on the Korean peninsula, in the Middle East or elsewhere.

Most illegal drugs consumed in the United States enter the country from the south, by sea and air as well as by land. For eight years the military has provided limited support to the anti-drug smuggling effort, not always with the most satisfactory results. Logistical and intelligence cooperation certainly should continue. But the Border Patrol remains the best agency for drug interdiction operations. The military has its own responsibilities, and its forces should not be diverted to other tasks.