An internal email disclosed that the National Guard in Washington DC will be kept throughout the Summer and Fall.
National Security might stay in DC throughout the fall
The National Security Council is demanding the Department of Defense to engage the Capitol Police for post-March 12 support plans. This report was revealed by FOX 5 gathered from an internal email that said National Guard will stay in DC through fall 2021.
The report states that there is a scheduled meeting for agencies to talk on this issue on Wednesday, February 17th.
Robert Salesses who is assigned as the Assistant Secretary for Homeland Defense and Global Security wrote the email. He stated:
“If it’s not possible to sustain at the current level with NG personnel, we need to establish the number of NG personnel (DCNG and out-of-state) we can sustain for an extended period – at least through Fall 2021 – and understand additional options for providing DoD support, to include use of reserve personnel, as well as an active component.”
Troops to stay in DC due to security concerns
Troops had to stay in DC for the duration of the impeachment sideshow, amid “security concerns,”. But it now seems that they will remain even longer. There are still around 6000 National Guard troops in DC, as confirmed by the Pentagon. The number of troops might be reduced within a month but it is not clear when troops will be stood down.
DC residents asked Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton about the duration of the National Guard stay. However, they received no clear answer.
“We want to depend on state-of-the-art intelligence, not fencing, and National Guard is part of the state of the art intelligence. It’s human beings, not 19th-century fencing – the king of fencing we’ve been using for 10,000 years,” said Norton.
FOX 5 received the following statement from D.C. National Guard upon further reporting:
“The National Guard is conducting prudent planning for the eventual end of the security mission and the return of its Soldiers and Airmen to their home stations.”