Pentagon authorizes arming National Guard members to support Capitol security

Pentagon authorizes arming National Guard members to support Capitol security

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The decision comes at a time when security forces in the nation’s capital and across the country are gearing up for more extremist violence after the deadly US Capitol insurrection last week. The first wave of National Guard troops arriving at the Capitol was unarmed, and the Army is analyzing whether National Guards should be armed for the inauguration with lethal or non-lethal weapons.

Captain Chelsi Johnson, a spokesman for the DC National Guard, said in a statement to CNN that the change was requested by federal authorities and authorized by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy.

“National Guard members are positioned to meet the requirements of supported civilian authorities, including protective equipment and armed, if necessary,” said Johnson.

The National Guard planned to have up to 15,000 National Guard soldiers to meet current and future requests for possession, said Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Office.

The New York Times first reported the Pentagon’s decision to arm National Guard troops moving to Washington for security before taking office.
The United States Army is working with the Secret Service to determine if there are any soldiers who will be part of the National Guard contingent providing security in Biden’s possession who need additional background screening, CNN reported earlier.

The DC National Guard is also providing additional training to military personnel arriving in Washington to emphasize that if they see or hear something that is inappropriate, they must report to their chain of command, an Army spokesman said in a written statement. to CNN.

“There is no place for extremism in the armed forces and we will investigate each complaint individually and take appropriate action,” said the spokesman.

“The Army is committed to working closely with the FBI to identify the people who participated in the violent attack on Capitol Hill to determine whether individuals have any connection to the Army,” said the statement, adding that any type of activity that “involves violence, civil disobedience or violation of peace “, may be punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice or state and federal law.

Current Department of Defense policy requires all military personnel to be trained annually under a program that requires department personnel to report “any information about known or suspected extremist behavior that could be a threat to the department or the United States,” said the communicated.

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