AP Interview: US military eyes more northern border patrols

[Terri]

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press
May 13, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) -- As the Arctic ice cap shrinks, the Pentagon is eyeing the expanding navigable waters as possible entry points for security threats that must be monitored more closely, the chief of the U.S. Northern Command told The Associated Press.

Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart also said in an interview that defense officials are working with the Federal Aviation Administration and Canadian authorities to determine how unmanned aircraft can be used to monitor the northern border without interfering with busy commercial air traffic routes.

For much of the last 18 months, the military has been more visibly focused on the country's southern border -- dispatching National Guard troops to help patrol there while additional border guards were trained.

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