- Two National Guard troops were withdrawn from the presidential inauguration security mission, the AP reported on Tuesday.
- Guard members were found to have links with far-right militia groups, according to army and intelligence officials.
- The military, in partnership with the FBI, is examining troops sent to the country’s capital to eradicate anyone with extremist views.
- A National Guard Bureau spokesman said the Guard does not currently have information on the alleged removal of Guard troops, but stressed that extremism in the ranks will not be tolerated.
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Two members of the National Guard were removed from the security mission for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday, citing army and intelligence officials.
Unidentified members of the Guard would have ties to far-right militias. No plot against Biden has been discovered, however, the AP reported.
There are more than 21,500 National Guard soldiers currently deployed to Washington, DC in support of the presidential inauguration, the National Guard Office said in a statement on Monday. Up to 25,000 members of the National Guard have been authorized to support the ongoing security mission.
Enhanced security follows an attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump crowd on January 6. The incident, an effort by supporters of President Donald Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, has been repeatedly characterized as an act of domestic terrorism.
Among those who invaded the Capitol were several veterans from the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, as well as members of the current service. A police officer who participated in the riots is a member of the Virginia National Guard.
“These people are not representative of our country’s armed forces,” General Mark Milley, President of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the New York Times on Monday, emphasizing that the majority of current and former military personnel “continue to serve with honor and fulfill their oath to protect and defend the US Constitution. “
Following the attack on the Capitol, the military took a closer look at extremism in its ranks.
The Inspector General’s Department of Defense announced last Thursday afternoon that it is launching an investigation into the military’s efforts to eliminate “active defense and active participation related to doctrine, ideology or causes of supremacy, extremism or criminal gangs or causes by military personnel on active duty. “
The Department of Defense, in partnership with the FBI, is examining members of the National Guard charged with securing possession, which will take place on Wednesday, due to concerns about the possibility of an internal attack, among other threats.
“Although we have no information to indicate an internal threat, we are not leaving any stone unturned in the security of the capital,” acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller said in a statement on Monday.
“If there is any indication that any of our soldiers or aviators are expressing things that are extremist views, it is either handed over to law enforcement or dealt with the chain of command immediately,” General Daniel R. Hokanson, head of the National Guard Bureau , he told the AP on Monday.
A National Guard Bureau spokesman told Insider that the Guard cannot currently substantiate the PA’s report, but added that the National Guard “does not tolerate extremism in its ranks”.