“Every state, territory and District of Columbia will have National Guard men and women to support the dedication,” the statement said.
As of Thursday, there were 7,000 guards in Washington from more than a dozen states and the DC National Guard. This number will more than triple in the coming days.
The surge in the military comes as law enforcement in the nation’s capital and across the country brace for more extremist violence after the deadly insurgency on the U.S. Capitol last week. The FBI has received reports that “armed protests” are planned at all 50 state capitals and the US Capitol in Washington in the days leading up to Biden’s inauguration, according to an internal bulletin obtained by CNN.
“Armed demonstrations are planned in all 50 state capitals from January 16 to January 20 at least, and at the United States Capitol from January 17 to January 20,” the bulletin said.
The National Guard will have more than strength in numbers. The Department of Defense announced Tuesday that members of the National Guard will be armed as they support the security of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, ahead of inauguration day.
DC National Guard spokesman Captain Chelsi Johnson said in a statement to CNN that the move was requested by federal authorities and authorized by Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy. The first wave of National Guard soldiers to arrive at Capitol Hill were unarmed.
Different entities involved in the inauguration are also preparing. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday urged Americans to avoid the city during Biden’s inauguration. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Bowser, a Democrat, stressed she was concerned that more violent actors could potentially come to the city as the inauguration nears, saying: “If I am afraid of anything, it is for our democracy, because we have very extreme factions in our country which are armed and dangerous. “
The Secret Service, which is leading the overall security effort in conjunction with federal law enforcement and the Pentagon, has officially taken over security for Biden’s inauguration as authorities warn of further threats across the country after last week’s violence on Capitol Hill. The agency was instructed to start preparations for the inauguration earlier than expected.
CNN’s Chandelis Duster, Barbara Starr, and Devan Cole contributed to this report.
