Tennessee Lawmakers Honor 168th Military Police Battalion for Southern-Border Mission

DYERSBURG, Tenn. – During a ceremony held September 12, members of the Tennessee General Assembly presented the 168th Military Police Battalion, Tennessee Army National Guard, with a Joint Resolution honoring its 13-month deployment supporting Joint Task Force–Southern Border.

Under the command of Lt. Col. Robert E. Crowley, the Dyersburg-headquartered battalion led six companies and roughly 650 Soldiers across nearly 300 miles of the Texas border, from Laredo to Brownsville.

“Those numbers tell part of the story, but they do not fully capture what it takes to successfully execute a mission of this duration and complexity,” said Brig. Gen. Steven Turner. “It takes Soldiers willing to perform their duties day after day, leaders capable of making sound decisions in a challenging operational environment, and families at home who continue to support them throughout an extended deployment.”

During the deployment, the Battalion contributed to more than 14,000 detections, turn-backs, and assisted apprehensions; conducted more than 30 counter-unmanned aerial system engagements across the Rio Grande Valley; and carried out four named operations targeting high-trafficking areas.

Soldiers also conducted 10 coordinated engagements with Mexican military forces, emplaced 110 buoys along the Rio Grande in support of National Defense Areas, and maintained 31 manned border sites and 66 dynamic operational sites, working alongside the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, Texas National Guard, Mexican military forces, and local law enforcement.

Turner also praised the battalion for the trust it earned with its mission partner, saying it demonstrated the standards of service expected from those representing the Tennessee Army National Guard and the state of Tennessee.