Three defense officials confirmed that Austin reviewed the lower option of keeping fewer than 1,000 soldiers, but finally decided to give the Capitol Police the total number of troops he had asked for. “There was a discussion” about approving fewer than 1,000 soldiers, a defense official told CNN. The Army oversees the DC National Guard and has played a leading role in deploying guard forces.
The Pentagon says it approved the police’s request that about 2,300 soldiers remain on duty because the Capitol Police successfully argued that they did not have enough manpower and “capacity” to guarantee security after the January 6 uprising and due to ongoing security concerns.
But it comes at a time when the Pentagon faces harsh political criticism that it failed to rapidly provide National Guard forces that day and amid growing opposition to the current security posture on Capitol Hill.
“The secretary was not moved by political pressure and was not moved by the specific events of January 6, which is currently under investigation anyway. He looked at it analytically, made his team look analytically at what the need was, the capacity gap we could fill and the best way to do that, “Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters this week.
While the extension has been approved, the number of Guard soldiers in Washington will be significantly reduced and thousands are expected to return to their home states. A National Guard official confirmed to CNN on Friday that all 1,000 Michigan National Guard members are expected to be out of DC early next week.
Pentagon officials emphasized that they now want to see the police force make improvements to get more manpower and security, so that the guard forces can be withdrawn. “We want to see the Capitol Police progress,” a second defense official told CNN. In a March 9 statement approving the extent of the deployment, the Pentagon said that “DOD officers will work with the US Capitol Police to gradually reduce the National Guard’s footprint as conditions permit”
Dissatisfied lawmakers
Meanwhile, members of Congress sought clarification from the United States Capitol Police and the Pentagon as to why the deployment of Guard troops was extended this week until May, but have not received a clear explanation, according to a source familiar with disclosure.
The current understanding, the source told CNN, is that the US Capitol Police have no personnel to provide security after January 6, even with a reduced threat, so the National Guard is filling the gap.
The timetable for hiring additional USCP officers, something that was also recommended by Lieutenant General Russel Honoré, who conducted an independent review of Capitol security, remains unclear, but that process will inevitably take months.
It is not uncommon to have internal disagreements at the Pentagon about how many troops may be needed for a specific mission. But in this case, it seems that Austin has annulled the views of both the Army and the National Guard. The Guard felt pressure from mobilizations for months, while thousands of its troops across the country were mobilized to help with the pandemic. “The National Guard has never been mobilized at this level in the history of the Guard,” said spokeswoman Traci O’Grady Walsh.
For the next few days, troop levels are likely to be in flux as the Pentagon tries to finalize commitments by governors across the country on how many troops they will allocate for the extended operation. If governors who want to participate are unable to muster enough guard forces to volunteer, they may have to order involuntary summons, officials say.
The cost of the mission now exceeds $ 500 million
“The National Guard estimates the cost of extending the mission from March to May at $ 111 million,” a Guard official told CNN. The original cost estimate for January-March operations was revised from $ 482.8 million to $ 410 million. The new projected cost estimate for the entire mission is $ 521 million. “
There is a continuing bipartisan concern at the Capitol over the extended deployment of Guarda. “We are deeply concerned about the current level of security around the United States Capitol. More than two months after the January 6 attack, our nation’s seat of democracy remains heavily protected by guards and surrounded by a perimeter fence.” , MPs Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), President and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement on Thursday.
“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. However, the current stance security is not guaranteed at this time. ”
The Senate’s top Republicans on five major committees echoed that sentiment in a joint statement on Friday and asked the Capitol Police to justify the decision to extend the Guard Deployment.
“The Capitol Police have repeatedly failed to provide intelligence on specific and reliable threats to adequately justify the current Capitol security posture, which remains disproportionate to the available intelligence,” wrote Sens. Jim Inhofe, Roy Blunt, Rob Portman, Marco Rubio and Richard Shelby, adding that they “are also concerned about several recent decisions made by Capitol Police leadership related to Capitol security.”