EO 14167: Clarifying the Military's Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States
ANALYSIS: This order directs the U.S. Armed Forces to prioritize securing national borders against threats such as unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling, and other criminal activities. Specifically, it mandates that the Secretary of Defense revise the Unified Command Plan to assign the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) the mission of sealing the borders and maintaining national sovereignty and security.
Project 2025 emphasizes strengthening border security and enhancing the military's role in safeguarding territorial integrity. Executive Order 14167 aligns with these objectives by explicitly directing the military to take a more active role in border protection, reflecting the project's influence on the administration's policies.
Executive Order 14167 could lead to the militarization of domestic law enforcement, potentially blurring the lines between military and civilian roles. There are concerns that deploying armed forces for border security may result in unintended consequences, such as increased tensions in border communities and potential violations of civil liberties. Additionally, some experts caution that this approach might divert military resources from other critical defense missions, thereby impacting overall national security readiness.
SUMMARY: Executive Order 14167 aims to enhance border security by involving the military more directly; it raises significant concerns regarding the appropriate use of military forces in domestic affairs and the potential implications for civil-military relations. Referenced in Chapter 5: Department of Homeland Security (Ken Cuccinelli), which urges using the U.S. military to support border security (deploying troops and resources to achieve “operational control” of the southern border). The EO directs DoD to assist DHS in defending the border, reflecting this proposal.
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1 . Purpose. (a) As Chief Executive and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, I have no more solemn responsibility than protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United States along our national borders. The protection of a nation's territorial integrity and national boundaries is paramount for its security.
(b) The Armed Forces of the United States have played a long and well-established role in securing our borders against threats of invasion, against unlawful forays by foreign nationals into the United States, and against other transnational criminal activities that violate our laws and threaten the peace, harmony, and tranquility of the Nation. These threats have taken a variety of forms over our Nation's history, but the Armed Forces have consistently played an integral role in protecting the sovereignty of the United States.
(c) Threats against our Nation's sovereignty continue today, and it is essential that the Armed Forces staunchly continue to participate in the defense of our territorial integrity and sovereignty. A National Emergency currently exists along the southern border of the United States. Unchecked unlawful mass migration and the unimpeded flow of opiates across our borders continue to endanger the safety and security of the American people and encourage further lawlessness. Accordingly, through this order, I am acting in accordance with my solemn duty to protect and defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United States along our national borders.
Sec. 2 . Policy. It is the policy of the United States to ensure that the Armed Forces of the United States prioritize the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United States along our national borders.
Sec. 3 . Implementation. The Secretary of Defense shall:
(a) No later than 10 days from the effective date of this order, deliver to the President a revision to the Unified Command Plan that assigns United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) the mission to seal the borders and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States by repelling forms of invasion including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities.
(b) On the effective date of this order, add the following requirements to the Contingency Planning Guidance and Guidance for the Employment of the Force:
(i) A Level 3 planning requirement for USNORTHCOM to seal the borders and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States by repelling forms of invasion, including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities, with a commander's estimate due to the Secretary of Defense within 30 days of the effective date of this order.
(ii) A campaign planning requirement for USNORTHCOM to provide steady-state southern border security, seal the border, and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States by repelling forms of invasion, including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities.
(iii) Continuous assessments of all available options to protect the sovereign territory of the United States from mass unlawful entry and impingement on our national sovereignty and security by foreign nations and transnational criminal organizations.
Sec. 4 . General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
