Joint Task Force Six
JTF-6
Joint Task Force Six (JTF-6), headquartered at Biggs Army Airfield, Fort Bliss, Texas, is the Joint Forces Command component that provides Department of Defense counterdrug support to federal, regional, state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the continental United States.
Military support is designed to assist law enforcement in their mission to detect, deter, disrupt, and dismantle illegal drug trafficking organizations. All military support to counterdrug operations is based on a valid support request from a law enforcement agency.
JTF-6 provides counterdrug support to the lead law enforcement agency in three categories: operational, training, and intelligence.
JTF-6 ensures that all counterdrug support missions offer significant and focused training value to the participating military units. The counterdrug support missions provide a tremendous opportunity to enhance individual skills and accomplish unit tactical training. In a single counterdrug operation, volunteer units typically train on at least ninety percent of their wartime tasks. JTF-6 funds all mission costs, to include travel, strategic airlift, and other associated mission costs. JTF-6 is also able to pay flying hour costs for active Army units.
All military support to Counterdrug (CD) operations is based on a valid support request from a Law Enforcement Agency (LEA). Military support is designed to assist LEAs in their mission to detect, deter, disrupt, and dismantle illegal drug trafficking organizations. JTF-6 serves as a force multiplier to law enforcement agencies with the potential to enhance LEA effectiveness or to release LEA resources to focus on interdiction/seizure actions.
JTF-6 support to LEAs is categorized as operational support, training support, and intelligence support.
In November 1989, the Secretary of Defense anounced the activation of Joint Task Force Six (JTF-6) at Fort Bliss, Texas.
JTF-6's original area of operation was the four border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas -- a land area of more than 580,000 square miles. In February 1995, by directive of the commanding general U.S. Army Forces Command, JTF-6 area of responsibility was expanded to include the entire continental United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. In June 1997, responsibility for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands was transferred to the U.S. Southern Command.
Since its inception in 1989, JTF-6 has completed over 5,000 missions in support of more than 430 federal, regional, state, and local law enforcement agencies and counterdrug task forces.
