The National Guard will increase the number of troops in Washington, DC to at least 10,000 by Saturday to bolster security ahead of next week’s presidential inauguration, the top Guard officer said.
General Daniel R. Hokanson, who heads the National Guard Bureau, said in a news conference on Monday that the number of troops could rise to 15,000. He did not specify which states the guards would come from, whether they would be armed or the details of their mission.
The planned deployment represents an increase in the approximately 6,200 troops arriving from six states in response to a pro-Trump gang’s violent attack on the Capitol on Wednesday after the president urged his supporters to march to the legislature while lawmakers there. gathered to certify electoral votes. The strengthened force would be greater than the Guardsmen’s contingents at previous inaugurations. According to General Hokanson, there were about 9,000 in Washington before President Obama’s inauguration.
The decision to deploy more Guard personnel came after military planners and local law enforcement officials reviewed their planned security position and discussed how many more troops could be useful.
Following Wednesday’s deadly assault on the Capitol, Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller formally approved the deployment of 6,200 Guardsmen from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia and Maryland. The first arrived Thursday morning and are currently securing the perimeter around the Capitol and providing other logistical support.