On Monday, Governor Chris Sununu delivered 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 NH, RI, IL, and KY numbering approximately 500-soldiers total. Their sector covers approximately 250 miles of border extending to the Gulf of Mexico. This is the unit’s first deployment.

Approximately 120 soldiers 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 and notify CBP of any border crossing to primarily stem the flow of people and illicit drugs, weapons, and money. The unit was 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 NH National Guard unit deployed to the southwest border from October 2020 through November 2021, which helped result in 207,320 assisted apprehensions, $893 million in illegal drug seizures, and 20 migrant lives saved.