The speed at which the operation launched and its scope has fueled frustrations internally and among veterans of the Guard. Multiple members of the Guard who are deployed as part of Operation Lone Star and spoke to CNN described long hours with little to do, poor planning, and a lack of mission — all of which, they say, are contributing to low morale among soldiers.

“As military, people know the term hurry up and wait. This is just the biggest hurry up and wait I was a part of, and there’s really no set, ‘hey, we’re doing this, or hey, go out and do this.’ It’s just, we’re sitting around doing nothing,” one soldier said…

“There’s guys standing at our points doing nothing, so they don’t really see a mission. They just see this as we’re just used as political pawns for an election year,” the soldier said.

“I’ve seen a lot of soldiers down here break down. I’ve seen just a lot of soldiers, like their attitudes have changed drastically,” the soldier added. “Morale has been definitely low and the mental health has been declining.”