AP Sources: National Guard to seek volunteers to bolster Mexican border drug war

AP Sources: Volunteers sought for border drug war

WASHINGTON — Senior officials say the Obama administration is developing plans to seek up to 1,500 National Guard volunteers to step up the military’s counterdrug efforts along the Mexican border.

The plan is a stopgap measure being worked out between the Defense Department and the Homeland Security Department. It comes despite Pentagon concerns about committing more troops to the border, a move some officials worry will be seen as militarizing the region.

Senior administration officials say the Guard program will last no longer than a year and will build on an existing counter-drug operation. They say the program will be largely be federally funded and draw on National Guard volunteers from the four border states. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the details have not been finalized.