Shipmates and Desert Rats,
We have had a very busy week. Originally we had intended to participate in El Grito in Mexico City and then move to the Southwest Border for the remainder of the week. Other priorities had us returning to Washington DC on Wednesday and then returning to the Southwest Border from Thursday through Saturday.
As mentioned in earlier posts, we spent Thursday observing and participating in Predator operations with aircraft launched from Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, AZ. Getting a chance to operate the sensor gave me a first hand experience regarding the technology and how valuable real time sensor data is to our Border Patrol Agents operating on the ground.
On Friday morning I spend several hours at the University of Arizona receiving briefs on research project that are being funded by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Under Secretariat. The meeting with federal, state, and local communities leaders and law enforcement officials was invaluable to me as the Chairman of The Interdiction Committee (TIC) as we are developing recommendation for the Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy regarding Supply Reduction strategies.
Later that day, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and I traveled to Bowie, AZ which is near the border of Arizona and New Mexico. We participated in Bowie School Pride Day. This event focuses on students and the value of education. Congresswoman Giffords and I spoke to the students and alumni about the value of education and what small towns mean to America.
On Saturday we had a full day visiting the Port of Entry at Nogales, AZ and receiving briefs on the considerable challenges our CBP partners face on a daily basis. We also visited the truck port on entry at Mariposa and later drove out to Sasabe, AZ to learn about the SBInet installations and the challenges at that port of entry.
We ended the trip in Tucson and I took my security detail on a hike up Ventana Canyon which is part of the Catalina Mountains that stand watch over Tucson. Whenever I come back to Tucson I take time to climb in the Catalina Mountains. I brings me back to my roots in Arizona and provides stunning landscapes .
Representative Giffords has provided her perspective on the visits we made and I am posting them as comments to this blog,
ADM Allen
Palo Verde High School 1967
Tucson, AZ
