10 U.S.C. § 124 — Detection and monitoring of aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs: Department of Defense to be lead agency

This section makes the Department of Defense the lead agency for detecting drug smuggling by air and sea. (a) Lead Agency. Paragraph (1) makes the Department of Defense the single lead federal agency for detecting and monitoring the movement of illegal drugs into the United States by air and sea. Paragraph (2) says DoD carries out this role in support of the counter-drug work of federal, state, local, and foreign law enforcement agencies. (b) Performance of Detection and Monitoring Function. Paragraph (1) says that to carry out (a), DoD personnel may operate DoD equipment to intercept a vessel or aircraft detected outside U.S. land territory, in order to (A) identify and communicate with it, and (B) direct it to a location that appropriate civilian officials designate. Paragraph (2) says that once a vessel or aircraft is detected outside U.S. land territory, DoD personnel may start or continue pursuing it even after it moves over U.S. land territory. (c) United States Defined. For this section, "United States" means the land area of the states and any U.S. territory, commonwealth, or possession.