Esper will defer $3.6B in military construction projects to build border wall

摘要

Defense Secretary Mark Esper will order the Pentagon to defer military construction projects so $3.6 billion can be diverted to build barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a letter he sent Tuesday to the House Armed Services Committee. "These projects will deter illegal entry, increase the vanishing time of those illegally crossing the border, and channel migrants to ports of entry," Esper wrote. "They will reduce the demand for DOD personnel and assets at the locations where the barriers are constructed and allow the redeployment of DOD personnel and assets to other high-traffic areas on the border without barriers. In short, these barriers will allow DOD to provide support to [the Department of Homeland Security] more efficiently and effectively. In this respect, the contemplated construction projects are force multipliers."