National Guard troops from around US continue to pour into DC – By Defense News Staff (Military Times) / January 13 2021
The number of states sending their National Guard troops to Washington to help with security for next week’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden continues to grow.
There could be as many as 20,000 National Guard troops in the nation’s capital as more than 30 states plan to send National Guard personnel to assist local police with security, logistics and communications during the scheduled Jan. 20 event.
The announcements came a week after a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to overturn the results of the presidential election. The House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump an unprecedented second time on Wednesday, making him the first president to be impeached twice.
On Jan. 12, National Guardsmen were given authorization to be armed in support of the U.S. Capitol Police to protect the Capitol and individual members of congress and their staff, according to a National Guard Bureau media release. This was requested by federal authorities and authorized by the Secretary of the Army.
