Operation Ghost Dancer

Under Operation Ghost Dancer the US Army National Guard operates airborne drug interdiction program Reconnaissance and Interdiction Detachments (RAID). The RAID units use the surveillance capabilities of the National Guard's OH-58 Kiowa helicopters, outfitted with thermal imaging systems, to support local law enforcement agencies in states where drug trafficking is highest. The Guard assists with airborne evidence gathering activities, such as locating and identifying probable marijuana growing operations. Actual law enforcement is handled by local agencies.

In one such operation, on 15 December 1992 members of the Oregon National Guard (ORNG) Counterdrug Support Program assisted the DEA, BATF, US marshals, and two IRS criminal investigation divisions in executing a search warrant in Hermiston, Oregon. With the support of the ORNG, the agencies seized a number of fully automatic weapons, 42 other weapons, and more than 3000 rounds of ammunition, including .50-caliber armor-piercing rounds.