[ad_1]
Three defense officials confirm that Austin considered the lower option of keeping less than 1,000 troops, but ultimately decided to give Capitol Hill police the full number of troops they requested. “There has been a discussion” about approving less than 1,000 troops, a defense official told CNN. The Army oversees the DC National Guard and has played a leading role in the deployment of Guard forces.
The Pentagon said it approved the police request that the approximately 2,300 troops remain on duty because the Capitol Police succeeded in demonstrating that they did not have enough manpower and “capabilities” to do so. provide security after the January 6 insurgency and given the continuing security concerns.
But it comes as the Pentagon faced strong political criticism that it failed to deliver National Guard forces quickly that day and amid growing opposition to the current security stance. on Capitol Hill.
“The secretary was not driven by political pressure and he was not motivated by the specific events of January 6, which are under investigation anyway. He has looked at this analytically, asked his staff to look at it analytically to determine what the need was, the capacity gap that we could fill and how best to do it, ”Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters this morning. week.
Although the extension has been approved, the number of Guard soldiers in Washington will be drastically reduced and thousands are expected to return to their home countries. A National Guard official confirmed to CNN Friday that the 1,000 Michigan National Guardsmen are expected to be out of Washington early next week.
Pentagon officials have stressed 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now want to see the police force make improvements to get more manpower and security, so that the guard forces can be withdrawn.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 extended deployment, the Pentagon said “DOD officials will work with the United States Capitol Police to gradually reduce the National Guard footprint if conditions permit.”
Disgruntled lawmakers
Meanwhile, members of Congress have sought clarification from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Pentagon as to why the deployment of the Guard troops was extended this week until May, but have not received an update. ‘clear explanation, according to a source close to awareness.
The current deal, the source told CNN, is that the U.S. Capitol Police do not have the staff to provide security after Jan.6, even with a reduced threat, so the National Guard is bridging the gap.
The timeline for hiring additional USCP officers, which was also recommended by Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré who conducted an independent review of Capitol Hill security, remains unclear, but this process will inevitably take months.
It is not uncommon to have internal Pentagon disagreements over the number of troops that may be needed for a specific mission. But in this case, it seems Austin rejected the views of the Army and National Guard. The Guard has felt the pressure of deployments for months as thousands of its troops across the country have been mobilized to help fight the pandemic. “The National Guard has never been mobilized at this level in the history of the Guard,” spokeswoman Traci O’Grady Walsh said.
Over the next few days, troop levels are likely to fluctuate as the Pentagon attempts to finalize commitments from the country’s governors on the number of troops they will commit to the extended operation. If governors who wish to participate are unable to recruit enough guards to volunteer, they may have to order involuntary appeals, officials say.
Mission cost 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 estimate of operating costs from January to March has been revised from $ 482.8 million to $ 410 million. The new estimated cost estimate for the entire mission is $ 521 million. “
There is an ongoing bipartisan concern on Capitol Hill about the Guard’s extended deployment. “We are deeply disturbed by the current level of security around the United States Capitol. More than two months after the January 6 attack, the seat of democracy in our country remains heavily guarded and surrounded by a fence, ”said Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), Chairman and non-commissioned member of the House Armed Services Committee in a statement Thursday.
“As the United States Capitol Police continue to build their personnel capacity, there is no doubt that a certain level of National Guard support should remain in the National Capital Region to respond to credible threats.” against the Capitol. However, the current position on security is not justified at this time. ”
Senior Senate Republicans from five key committees echoed the sentiment in a joint statement on Friday and called on Capitol Hill police to justify the decision to extend the deployment of the guard.
“Capitol Police have repeatedly failed to provide specific and credible threat intelligence to adequately justify the Capitol’s current security position, which remains disproportionate to the intelligence available,” Senators Jim Inhofe wrote, Roy Blunt, Rob Portman, Marco Rubio and Richard Shelby. that they “are also concerned about the many recent decisions taken by the Capitol Police Directorate concerning the security of the Capitol.”
[ad_2]
Source link