Looking Back on Operation Jump Start

For decades, the imbroglio of illegal immigration has permeated American society due to the Nations Southwest border being extremely porous. Today, the topic has reached center stage on Capitol Hill as it receives the necessary attention, especially in a post-911 era. Since the attacks of September 11, Customs and Border Protection CBP has received additional funding, manpower, infrastructure, and resources for border security. For example, there were 9,736 CBP agents in 2001, and the number of agents forecast by the end of 2009 is 18,319. To help reach this aggressive goal, in May 2006, President George W. Bush initiated Operation Jump Start OJS under which the National Guard helped bolster the Border Patrol in anticipation of CBP hiring and training additional Federal agents from 2006 to 2008. As the National Guard takes on a more prominent role in homeland security, we can expect joint operations such as OJS to become more frequent. The onus will be on future forces to unite for mission accomplishment. OJS was unique because it was the first time both the Army National Guard ARNG and Air National Guard ANG came together in significant numbers in the homeland to conduct a major operation of extended duration. Lessons learned from OJS should prove invaluable to future joint operations. These lessons could preclude organizations from making the same mistakes, thus preventing wasted money, time, and energy. Two areas of emphasis that contributed most to these lessons were organizational cultural challenges and interagency information-sharing.