The United States National Guard sent 50 times more troops to the Capitol after the January 6 riots than to protect the famous building after the September 11 attacks.
The National Guard sent 100 soldiers to the Capitol complex to defend the nation’s seat of power after terrorists attacked the Pentagon – just a few miles away, across the Potomac River – and the World Trade Center in New York nearly 20 years ago.
After the Capitol was attacked a decade later, on January 6, 2021, the Pentagon decided to keep 5,000 service members in the building until March of this year. This marked an increase in the workforce of more than 50 times what was used in response to 9/11.
The National Guard confirmed to Fox News that the number of troops sent to defend the Capitol building in 2001 during “Task Force: Guardian of the Capital” was 100 military personnel.
ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE SAYS THE NATIONAL GUARD IS NO MORE NEEDED IN CAPITOL AS AMOUNT OF COSTS
The Biden administration’s defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, rejected the head of the National Guard, Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, who wrote a memo saying that the Pentagon should not comply with the request for 2,280 soldiers to the Capitol by the United States Capitol Police ( USCP), Fox News reported on Thursday.
“Efforts so far have not ensured sufficient volunteers between support states to meet USCP’s request for 2,280 soldiers, nor option B for 1,000 soldiers,” the memo said.
The memo stated that Hokanson was concerned that “the continuing undefined nature” of the operation “could also hinder” the way the Pentagon organizes future operations.
“I am concerned that the continuing undefined nature of this requirement may also hinder our ability to manage future missions, as both general helpers and guards may be skeptical about committing to future endeavors,” said the memo.
Austin has chosen to keep troops on the Capitol and is considering implementing involuntary activation orders.
The troops deployed to the Capitol complex in DC remain after months of deployment, where they are said to have slept on the ground and fed with expired food.
The troops came in response to waves of supporters of ex-President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Theft” rally that swept the Capitol while trying to stop the Senate from confirming the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The National Guard was delayed by more than half an hour from the moment the Pentagon authorized the sending of troops to the Capitol amid the turmoil and its effective positioning.
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The leadership of the Chamber’s Armed Services Committee – Reps. Adam Smith, D-Wash., The President and Mike Rogers, R-Ala., The Graduated Member – have asked the National Guard troops to “return home to their families ” as the operation continues to grow.
“As the US Capitol Police continues to increase its personnel capacity, there is no doubt that some level of support from the National Guard must remain in the National Capital Region to respond to credible threats against the Capitol,” Smith and Rogers said. press release.
“We thank our guards for responding to the call to protect Capitol, but it is time to review the necessary level of security so that they can return to their families and communities,” they added.
Fox News’ Gillian Turner and Evie Fordham contributed reporting