The District of Columbia National Guard is ratcheting up its manpower by the day, with reportedly up to 20,000 members authorized in response to increasing concerns that armed protesters could descend on the capital in time for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
“National Guard members will be postured to meet the requirements of the supported civil authorities up to and including protective equipment and being armed,” Capt. Tinashe Machona, a spokesman for the D.C. Guard, told the Washington Examiner.
In a statement, the D.C. National Guard said as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, “National Guard members will be armed in support of the U.S. Capitol security.”
The request for arms was made by federal authorities, including the Secret Service, Park Police, and Capitol Police, and authorized by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy.
The National Guard historically provides 8,000 to 10,000 members from across the nation to provide support for inaugurations. To date, 44 states have committed to providing service members for the inauguration.
A D.C. Guard spokesman said close to 9,000 Guard members were on hand for former President Barack Obama’s first inauguration, and over 7,000 were on hand for his second inauguration.
As of Wednesday, 6,600 Guard troops from six states and the District of Columbia were patrolling the district, including 800 behind 7-foot nonscalable fences at the Capitol, which was overrun by violent rioters on Jan. 6.
An expected 10,000 troops are expected to be in place by Saturday.
Following the security breach last week, McCarthy announced that up to 15,000 Guard members would remain in the capital for 30 days, well beyond the inauguration, to guarantee a peaceful transition of power.
McCarthy had previously placed the blame for the security breach on poor law enforcement intelligence and ill-preparedness by the Capitol Police, which he said declined additional support just three days prior. The former Capitol Police chief, however, reportedly disputed that claim, saying he pleaded for support in the days before but was turned down.
In yet another show of force, the Washington Post reports that the previous top-line authorization of 15,000 troops has been increased to 20,000 troops. The D.C. Guard was unable to confirm that number when asked by the Washington Examiner.
While a state-by-state breakdown is not available, a D.C. Guard spokesman said Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and New Jersey are among the states providing the largest Guard contingents.
“We have all kinds of states participating, as we normally have planned for every other inauguration,” the spokesman told the Washington Examiner.
Sleepy Guard members given a pass
Controversy recently erupted when Guard members on 12-hour shifts were photographed asleep, but a National Guard Bureau spokesman told the Washington Examiner that they were just catching shut-eye during a break.
“It’s common not to have the entire Guard force on watch at the same time. So, you always have people who are fresh,” the spokesman explained.
“Typically, due to the need to be able to flex and react, service members who are not standing a post, they generally have downtime where they can either catch a couple of winks, play cards, shoot the breeze,” he said. “But they’re on hand close enough by so that should something happen, and you need a flex of personnel, they’re available to do so.”
Machona also clarified that the area where the Guard members were sleeping was designated a rest area for on-duty Guard members between shifts.
“To be clear, this is not where they are lodging when off-duty,” he said. “Being present is the first step in ensuring the safety of our citizens and our nation’s capital. Our security personnel work in shifts and rest when they can as others stand watch.”
