The National Guard underscored Monday that authorization delays did not affect response time to the Capitol siege on Wednesday, and up to 15,000 Guard members will be in place, and possibly armed, for the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration.
“We’re not first responders,” chief of the National Guard Bureau Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson said in response to a question about alleged delays authorizing the Maryland National Guard to enter the capital.
“It wasn’t until 11 p.m. that their unit was fully marshaled with their equipment,” he added on a call with select members of the media. “We want to make sure that all law enforcement officers have been exhausted before we bring in the National Guard.”
Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman added that “there was no real, actual delay in getting the personnel into D.C. based on that requirement to seek approval from [Army] Secretary [Ryan] McCarthy.”
The controversy bubbled up Thursday when Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said he was “repeatedly denied” authorization to send Maryland Guard into the district after Capitol Police were overrun.
Hokanson said on a 3:55 p.m. Wednesday phone call that Hogan promised him a National Guard response “in eight to 10 hours.”
Hoffman said the Maryland troops were readying while authorization was in process.
“[There were] two parallel things happening, one did not delay the other,” he said.
Hokanson said 6,200 National Guard members from seven states are now in the Capitol, and 10,000 will be in place by Saturday to assure a peaceful inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden.
The National Guard chief left open the possibility that members will be armed to face potential violent protests.
“That will be an ongoing conversation,” he said. “We want our individuals to have the right to self-defense.”
The National Guard is authorized to carry out law enforcement activities and will be in continuous contact with the FBI and local law enforcement about possible threats.
Intelligence failures and ill-preparedness by the Capitol Police have been widely blamed for the violence that ensued at the Capitol.
Hokanson said up to 15,000 total National Guard members will be responsible for security and logistics, liaison, and communications missions already requested by the Secret Service, Park Police, and Capitol Police.
The National Guard mission defined Jan. 5 was set for a minimum of 30 days, allowing at least 10 days after the conclusion of the inauguration.
Hokanson estimated approximately 9,000 National Guard members were on hand for President Barack Obama’s inauguration, but, until Wednesday’s violence, had planned for just 5,000 Guard members due to the COVID-19 environment.
The National Guard members arriving from out of state will have weapons at the ready.
“We make sure that they do bring their weapons as well just so they are here locally,” he said. “Ideally, they’ll never need them, but if they do, we know that they’re close by and readily accessible.”
