This occasional paper is a concise overview of the history of the US Army's involvement along the Mexican border and offers a fundamental understanding of problems associated with such a mission. Furthermore, it demonstrates how the historic themes addressed-disapproving public reaction, Mexican governmental instability, and insufficient US military personnel to effectively secure the expansive boundary-are still prevalent today.

http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/Matthews_op22.pdf Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.