The National Guard will increase the number of soldiers in Washington, DC, to at least 10,000 by Saturday to strengthen security before next week’s presidential inauguration, the senior Guard official said.
General Daniel R. Hokanson, in charge of the National Guard Department, said at a news conference on Monday that the number of soldiers could increase to 15,000. He did not specify which states the members of the Guard would come from, whether they were armed or the details of their mission.
The planned deployments represent an increase over the nearly 6,200 soldiers who arrived from six states in response to the violent attack by a pro-Trump crowd on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, after the president asked his supporters to march in the legislature as legislators. met there to certify the electoral votes. The reinforced force would be greater than the contingents of guards at previous openings. About 9,000 were in Washington for President Obama to take office, General Hokanson said.
The decision to send more Guard personnel came after local military planners and police officers assessed their planned security posture and discussed how many more troops could be useful.
After Wednesday’s deadly attack on Capitol Hill, acting defense secretary Chris Miller formally approved the sending of 6,200 guards from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia and Maryland. The first one arrived on Thursday morning and is currently protecting the perimeter around the Capitol and conducting other logistical support.