The final number of sentries to be approved is expected to be settled on Monday, when Whitley meets Bowser. If an agreement is reached, the initial deployment may consist of a “few hundred” troops. The official stressed that the final details of a deployment are still under discussion.
“The military is reviewing a request from the Washington, DC city government for the District of Columbia National Guard to provide support for the Metropolitan Police Department during anticipated First Amendment demonstrations,” an army official told CNN. The official noted that the precise wording of the formally approved statement does not refer to the Chauvin trial, but said this is what the statement is referring to.
The Pentagon later acknowledged the National Guard’s request for assistance on Monday, with Pentagon chief spokesman John Kirby saying that “there is a request the military is currently looking at,” but declined to provide additional details.
Under the laws governing the DC National Guard, the President retains authority to deploy the Guard. That authority is currently granted to the military.
The request was made in a letter from the director of Homeland Security, Dr. Christopher Rodriguez, to the Commander of the DC National Guard, Major General William Walker. It did not mention how many National Guard were requested, but said most of them will be split into six “crowd management teams” at various subway stations and others “to assist at thirty designated traffic posts.”
“The DCNG’s mission during this activation is primarily crowd management, ‘Quick Response Force’ (QRF) and to assist in blocking vehicles at traffic stations,” writes Rodriguez. The QRF would be staged in DC’s armory “with the ability to respond to a request for assistance within thirty minutes.”
Rodriguez called the request “as a precautionary measure” Monday, saying they asked the National Guard to support the DC Metropolitan Police Department with traffic management and security at downtown public transit stations, as well as a rapid response force from guards identified in the event “large-scale protests.” He said if the request is approved, the assisting guards will not be armed, noting that only the president can sign to arm the DC National Guard.
This story was updated on Monday with additional details.
CNN’s Chandelis Duster, Michael Conte and Alex Marquardt contributed to this report.