Is the Department of Homeland Security building a domestic military force?

We’ve talked about it a number of times in the past – the Department of Homeland Security’s attempt to militarize our nation’s police forces –  but it seems their efforts have been kicked into high gear as the DHS and local police forces around the country are about to take control of over 13,000 MRAPs  (Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected Trucks).

This isn’t the first time the Department of Homeland Security has secured these military vehicles, but it is the first time we’ve seen so many taken at the same time. Over the last couple of years, local and state police forces from around the country have secured similar armored vehicles, military weapons and even drones through so-called “terrorism grants” from the Department of Homeland Security.

With these grants, DHS essentially paid to turn local police forces into a de facto homeland military force for the Federal Government. Billions of dollars have been spent arming police forces throughout the country with military grade weapons, body armor, helicopters, tanks, and armored personnel carriers. Some of these police forces are actually better equipped than the soldiers fighting overseas.

Now, the U.S. Army is giving away 13,000 armored trucks, worth about $500,000 each. These high-powered military vehicles, which were built specifically for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, will now be patrolling the streets of America. TRUNews