[ad_1]
WASHINGTON (AP) – Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has officially approved an extension of the National Guard’s deployment to the U.S. Capitol for about two more months as possible threats of violence remain, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
According to a statement released by the department, nearly 2,300 troops will continue to provide security in Washington until May 23, at the request of the Capitol Police. Officials have scrambled in recent days to determine if and how to meet the demand, as the initial March 12 deadline for them to leave Washington loomed.
There are currently about 5,100 Guard troops in Washington, and they were due to leave this weekend. It is unclear whether any of these forces will need to stay an extra day or two while new troops arrive and form and settle. The Pentagon said defense officials will work with the Capitol Police to gradually reduce the number of guards needed in the city over time.
Decision to keep members of the Guard in town highlights concerns over security at the Capitol, two months after rioters entered the building in an attack that left five people dead. The security forces remained in a heightened security posture in response to intelligence suggesting possible threats against the Capitol by militia groups.
The request for an extension of the deployment met with resistance last week, as some governors expressed reluctance or categorically refused to commit their troops any longer to the city. There now appear to be enough states willing to provide Guard troops for the mission, said defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Earlier Tuesday, Pentagon chief spokesman John Kirby said the decision to maintain a Guard presence would be based on the concerns of local law enforcement as well as the needs of the Capitol Police. .
“This is not just a threat assessment, it is about helping and supporting capabilities that the Capitol Police may now lack and may need to seek to improve,” Kirby said, adding that the extension request was largely based on the use of the Guard to compensate for gaps in the capabilities of the Capitol Police.
Army officials also initially asked whether Capitol Police had exhausted all other options to meet the needs, such as asking other federal law enforcement agencies to provide security. But officials said military leaders believed it was important to find ways to work out the details.
The threat was linked to the far-right conspiracy theory promoted by QAnon supporters that former President Donald Trump would return to power on March 4, the day of the initial presidential inauguration. That day went off without a hitch, but law enforcement said threats to buildings and staff remained.
The deployment of the Guard at the Capitol was troubled. Early on, members of the Guard were briefly forced to take breaks and meals in a nearby cold garage., sparking outrage within the Biden administration. Officials quickly found new spaces in Congress buildings for duty breaks.
In addition, members of the Guard complained about bad food and some said they had fallen ill. On Monday, Kirby said about 50 Guard soldiers had been treated for gastrointestinal problems, out of the 26,000 deployed to Washington. He said six sought outpatient medical treatment, while the rest were treated at first-aid stations set up for the Capitol Hill mission.
Kirby said General Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard bureau, visited the troops several times a week and ate with them to make sure they received good food.
Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman called for members of the guard to stay, triggering a series of talks with Pentagon and National Guard leaders.
US military officials have said the cost of deploying approximately 26,000 Guard troops to the US Capitol between shortly after the January 6 riot and this Friday was nearly $ 500 million. No cost estimate for the next two months has been released. The costs include housing, transportation, wages, benefits, and other essentials.
[ad_2]
Source link