Rules Tightened For Mexico Travel (details on ruling)

Rules Tightened For Mexico Travel

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Jan 18, 2009 9:41:58 EST

SAN DIEGO — With drug cartel violence escalating south of the border, Marine and Navy officials in Southern California have tightened restrictions for service members wishing to visit Mexico.

Issued Dec. 24, this latest revision to the Mexico Travel Policy requires E-6s and below — staff sergeants, first-class petty officers and Marines and sailors of lower ranks — to obtain an approved leave/liberty request, or liberty chit, from their commanding officer before traveling. It also requires that Marines and sailors in the rank of gunnery sergeant, chief petty officer and above — including officers — notify their commands if they plan to travel there.

The new rules appeared in a message issued jointly by Marine Corps Installations-West, I Marine Expeditionary Force, San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot/Western Recruiting Region and Navy Region Southwest. The “all-hands message” was distributed to commands west of the Mississippi, Marine Corps headquarters in Quantico, Va., and others. It says personnel traveling to Mexico must:

• Use “the buddy system” and denote the name of that person on their liberty chit.

• Get a security brief and be current on “Level I” antiterrorism training. The class can be given by a Level II training officer or taken online at www.at-awareness.org.

more details at link...



http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/01/marine_mexico_011609w/%2e

Fort Bliss, 1600 murders across the border last year