The National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C., in the wake of the Capitol riot will be departing in about a month, according to the Pentagon.
The plan is to have the troops out of the nation’s capital by mid-March, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Tuesday, although he pointed out that the Defense Department is in communication with other entities about the matter.
“The plan right now is to end this mission in the capital region by the middle of March. That’s still the plan. That’s what we’ve sort of resourced ourselves out to,” Kirby said. “We’re obviously constantly in touch with the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service, and D.C. officials about the need, about the requirement, and we’re always evaluating it.”
“Look, there were some internal discussions about hypothetical, potential future operations,” Kirby said on Fox News regarding reports in which officials discussed the possibility of troops staying in the area into the fall. “The Pentagon is a planning organization, that’s what we do. We plan for all kinds of contingencies that actually don’t ever happen.”
Thousands of National Guard troops from across the country descended upon Washington, D.C., following the deadly Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol building. Miles of fencing, including barbed wire, were erected around the complex to bolster security further, although there is a push to ensure the new fencing doesn’t become a fixture.
