About 40 area Minnesota Army National Guard soldiers are conducting their annual training in support of "Operation Jump Start,” a federal initiative utilizing National Guard soldiers to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border against illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

The soldiers--from the Willmar-based 682nd Engineering Battalion, the Litchfield-based 849th Engineer Company and the Cambridge-based 850th Engineer Company--left Saturday for New Mexico.

They will spend two weeks supporting construction projects near Deming, N.M. Their mission will include anti-vehicle fence installation and road construction to remote entry points.