Bluehawk Posted October 26, 2018 Share #1 Posted October 26, 2018 The Posse Comitatus Act, which passed after the Civil War to keep federal troops from policing the South, limits federal troops' deployment on U.S.soil and forbids using them to enforce domestic laws. The President can deploy troops if there's an insurrection or invasion on U.S. soil. My question: It is fairly easy to understand what constitutes an "insurrection" - however, what constitutes an "invasion"? Assuming that the definition and the triggering would be up to the discretion of the CINC and down the chain of command, starting with the SECDEF, would the decision fall within guidelines similar to those contained within the War Powers Act? Or, is there some objective U.S. military definition of the term "invasion"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72psb Posted October 26, 2018 Share #2 Posted October 26, 2018 Good question.With the current climate,this may go sideways.Might be ok if it does not get too political. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aef1917 Posted October 26, 2018 Share #3 Posted October 26, 2018 Every mention of invasion I could find in the US Code defined it as an act perpetrated by a foreign nation or government. So if North Korea mobilizes its army and drops an airborne Division on Portland, it's an invasion. If a truck full of drunk Canadians celebrating the Jets winning the Stanley Cup blows through a border crossing on their way to a bar in Minot, it's not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easterneagle87 Posted October 26, 2018 Share #4 Posted October 26, 2018 OK, let's just ask about the elephant in the room... 7,000 organized marchers, from a couple of places we supported up through the 80's to combat communism, headed directly for the Southern border of our country. We invaded Panama and Grenada with less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugme Posted October 26, 2018 Share #5 Posted October 26, 2018 Yeah, I figured this thread would go this direction in a matter of a few posts. This one is a hot potato and a political nuke. I am locking it now before we run out of moderators to handle the problem that this thread will surely become. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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