The Pentagon is putting 20,000 National Guard on the streets of D.C. in the wake of the assault on the U.S. Capitol to support Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police for the inauguration on Jan. 20 of President-elect Joe Biden.
That is in addition to the more than 6,000 officers who are part of the U.S. Capitol Police and who are officers with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
The more than 25,000 members of law enforcement personnel that are being deployed is five times the number of United States military deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser’s request from President Donald Trump for an emergency declaration ahead of the inauguration comes at the same time the Department of Defense said it would comply by Friday with Trump’s orders to draw down troops to 2,500 in each country.
As Breitbart News reported, the DOD is meeting Trump’s January 15 deadline to draw down the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to 2,500 in each country, according to the Pentagon. About 900 US troops will remain in Syria, multiple defense officials said.
Politico reported on the military buildup in the nation’s capital:
Law enforcement and defense officials have been scrambling to respond to the enhanced security concerns surrounding next week’s presidential inauguration in light of the Jan. 6 riot that took over the U.S. Capitol and left a number of people dead or injured.
Earlier this week the Pentagon allowed National Guardsmen protecting the Capitol to carry lethal weapons in response to the credible threats of violence from militia and extremist groups. Prior to the riot, city and federal officials had deliberately sought to limit the military’s role in response to the protests.
Security measures in the capital include dozens of roads and other closures, including the National Mall, until the day after the inauguration.
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