Pentagon deploys hundreds of active-duty soldiers for inauguration security



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The news comes as authorities are on heightened alert, scrambling Monday morning to respond to a fire in the general area of ​​the U.S. Capitol. While the Capitol was briefly locked, upsetting a rehearsal for Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, the source of the fire turned out to be a propane tank that had exploded at a nearby homeless camp.

In total, the Pentagon authorized about 2,750 active-duty personnel to support the dedication, but most of them – around 2,000 – are intended for “ceremonial support,” as the group said. responsible.

National security leaders across the country ordered an unprecedented show of force this week ahead of the inauguration. Active duty teams will join the approximately 21,500 National Guardsmen currently deployed to the National Capital Region to help civilian authorities respond to the threat of potential violence in the days leading up to the inauguration. That number could reach 25,000 guards, many of whom guard the Capitol, armed with lethal weapons and riot gear.

The FBI said Thursday it had already made more than 100 arrests in connection with the Jan.6 attack on the Capitol and that law enforcement was monitoring “a large amount of worrying online talk” before it ‘inauguration.

While the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, is responsible for enforcing flight restrictions over the nation’s capital on inauguration day, like any other day, no force from the NORAD was not specifically dedicated to supporting the inauguration, the defense official said.

“Multiple resources, including rotary wing aircraft and fighters, are always ready to intercept any aircraft that could pose a security problem in the region,” the official said.

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