DHS Secretary Mullin Visits Coast Guard HITRON Squadron in Jacksonville, Watches Airborne Use-of-Force Demonstration and Live-Fire Exercise
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on October 27 that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin met on Monday with U.S. Coast Guard personnel at the Coast Guard's Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was shown demonstrations of the squadron's elite airborne use-of-force capabilities.
Mullin was accompanied by Capt. Kent Reinhold, commanding officer of HITRON; Cmdr. Jon Magin, chief of personnel and support; Cmdr. Chuck Arena, operations officer; and Master Chief Travis Greenwood. During the tour, Mullin took part in a demonstration of HITRON's Airborne Use of Force, displaying the tactics, techniques and procedures for intercepting non-compliant vessels engaged in narcotics trafficking, and then witnessed an offshore live-fire gunnery exercise showcasing the precision of aviation weapons systems that deliver disabling fire.
Mullin said Coast Guard personnel are on the front lines of protecting U.S. borders at sea and in the air, and that at HITRON he saw firsthand the training and equipment used to interdict drug vessels trying to smuggle narcotics to U.S. shores. He said that under President Trump's leadership, U.S. borders are stronger than ever by land, by sea and by air.
DHS noted that last week Mullin also toured the Coast Guard's Aviation Logistics Center and Aviation Technical Training Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. HITRON, based in Jacksonville, is the Coast Guard's airborne use-of-force helicopter squadron specializing in counterdrug interdiction missions.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：国土安全部长 Markwayne Mullin 在 Jacksonville 与海岸警卫队 HITRON 中队队员握手，身后为 HITRON 直升机尾翼。美国国土安全部 DHS 官方图，公共领域。 / Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin shakes hands with a Coast Guard HITRON aircrew member in Jacksonville, with a HITRON helicopter tail behind them. U.S. Department of Homeland Security photo, public domain.
