Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin overruled the opinion of National Guard Bureau Chief Dan Hokanson when he approved a two-month extension of the National Guard presence at the Capitol following the riot of former President Donald Trump’s supporters on Jan. 6.
Austin’s decision to allow 2,300 National Guard members to continue patrolling a vast, barbed wire perimeter surrounding the Capitol complex was not rooted in specific threats, the Pentagon recently admitted, but to give Capitol Police more time to fill staff and capability gaps.
Hokanson wrote a memo, obtained by Fox News, outlining his concerns with the mission, which began after the Capitol riot and was initially slated to end on Friday.
“I am concerned that the continued indefinite nature of this requirement may also impede our ability to man future missions,” the memo reportedly said. “Efforts to date have not secured enough volunteers among supporting states to meet the USCP request of 2,280 soldiers, nor Option B of 1,000 soldiers.”
‘COLLUSION OF STUPIDITY’: NATIONAL GUARD EXTENSION AT CAPITOL CONFOUNDS EXPERTS
In Hokanson’s March 4 dissent, he cites “unprecedented demand” for the National Guard by governors across the nation to fulfill needs, including national disasters, civil unrest, overseas deployments, and COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
He also specifically points to the use of civilian law enforcement as “highly preferable” to requiring the National Guard to deploy at the Capitol.
As of the date of the memo, the head of the National Guard said only 500 Guard members had volunteered to extend. The Pentagon said on Thursday that it would be asking governors to volunteer full units rather than individuals.
Buying time
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told the Washington Examiner on Thursday that it is not the department’s job to require a transition be in place to return full security at the legislative hall back to the Capitol Police.
“The authorization that he signed makes clear what the expectations are for authorities for this additional extension for these guardsmen during this initial extension,” Kirby said of Austin’s approval. “He doesn’t want the Guard to be considered an enduring solution here, and he doesn’t want them to spend any more time up on Capitol Hill than what’s required. He believes that this is a valid requirement.”
Asked if Austin required a transition back to the Capitol Police be in place to assure the National Guard would not be extended again, Kirby said that such a transition plan was the responsibility of the Capitol Police, not the Department of Defense. He also would not speculate about another extension when the current one expires.
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“It is clearly not a mission that we want to see the Guard own forever, but there’s a valid requirement,” Kirby said of the Capitol Police request, adding that the authorization would “buy them some time and space.”
To date, the National Guard mission at the Capitol has cost taxpayers $483 million. The Pentagon could not provide a cost estimate for the two-month extension approved on Tuesday.
