The National Guard, Army, Secret Service, and FBI are all coordinating to vet and train 25,000 National Guard members from 44 states to ensure none of those providing security for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration hold extremist ideologies.
Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller Monday called the vetting process for large events “normal.”
“While we have no intelligence indicating an insider threat, we are leaving no stone unturned in securing the capital,” Miller said in a statement. “This type of vetting often takes place by law enforcement for significant security events. However, in this case the scope of military participation is unique.”
Fears have emerged that some Guard members may hold extremist views, such as the white nationalist and anti-government views espoused by rioters.
Those fears were affirmed by a senior defense official last week.
“We know that some groups actively attempt to recruit our personnel into their cause, or actually encourage their members to join the military for the purpose of acquiring skills and experience,” the official told Pentagon journalists.
The FBI is taking the lead for the vetting process and intelligence gathering ahead of Wednesday’s inauguration.
“The Army is working with the FBI to vet all service members supporting the Inauguration National Special Security Event,” an Army statement provided to the Washington Examiner on Monday said.
Due to the District of Columbia’s special status, the Army oversees the National Guard, which has ballooned from just 340 on the day the Capitol was overrun by rioters, Jan. 6, to 6,000 troops in a matter of days, and an expected 25,000 by Inauguration Day.
Pentagon director for defense intelligence Garry Reid told reporters that all military personnel have undergone background investigations, are subject to continuous evaluation, and are enrolled in an insider threat program.
“Simply put, we will not tolerate extremism of any sort in DOD,” he said.
The National Special Security Event status invoked ahead of the inauguration further integrates coordination of federal, state, and local law enforcement.
The Army also said in a statement that it is working with the Secret Service to determine which service members require additional background screening.
‘Concerning online chatter’
The capital has all but come to a grinding halt in the days before America’s handover of power, with police and military checkpoints dotting the city and seven-foot, nonscalable fences protecting major government buildings.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said recently that online chatter indicates more violent activity may be attempted.
“We are seeing an extensive amount of concerning online chatter,” Wray said at a briefing of Vice President Mike Pence last week. “Right now, we are tracking for potential armed protest.”
In recent days, armed protesters have been arrested at some of the dozens of security checkpoints, and the Guard has received training for how to detect improvised explosive devices.
The additional extremism vetting and training is above and beyond the preparation service members already undergo.
Defense Department policy requires all service members, including National Guard, to train annually in the Threat Awareness and Reporting Program. The program requires department personnel to report any information regarding known or suspected extremist behavior that could be a threat.
“The D.C. National Guard is also providing additional training to service members as they arrive in D.C. that if they see or hear something that is not appropriate, they should report it to their chain of command,” the Army said in a statement.
“There is no place for extremism in the military and we will investigate each report individually and take appropriate action,” the statement added.
DOD has refused to disclose how many current and former service members may have been involved in the Capitol riots, but officials insisted the Pentagon is cooperating with law enforcement to identify those involved.
“The Army is committed to working closely with the FBI as they identify people who participated in the violent attack on the Capitol to determine if the individuals have any connection to the Army,” an Army statement read.
Any type of activity that involves violence, civil disobedience, or a breach of peace may be punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice or under state or federal law, the Army said.
