Secretary of War Pete Hegseth today awarded the Mexican Border Defense Medal to 50 U.S. service members, including Marines for the first time. The medal, a replica of the 1918 Mexican Border Service Medal, recognizes efforts to secure the southern border since January 2025. Hegseth highlighted partnerships with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and Homeland Security, noting “effectively zero illegals crossing our border” in national defense areas. Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called the border defense effort “history-making,” emphasizing rapid mobilization and the designation of drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Recipients included 14 Marines, one sailor, and 35 soldiers. Acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith praised operational achievements, including 97% interdiction effectiveness and repairs to over 200,000 meters of border walls. Hegseth thanked President Trump for recognizing the service members’ contributions to national security.
© U.S. Government.
Summary adapted from https://war.gov
Made by AI. If you spot anything of concern write us at contact@cybach.com. We’ll promptly correct irregularities.