Pentagon set to OK forces at Capitol

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is set to approve an extension of the National Guard deployment at the US Capitol for about two more months as possible threats of violence remain, defense officials said Tuesday.

Officials said final details were being worked out, but Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to give final approval to have Guard troops continue to provide security in Washington at the request of the Capitol Police. Officials have been scrambling in recent days to determine if and how to fill the request for more than 2,000 Guard members, as the original March 12 deadline for them to leave Washington looms.

The decision underscores concerns about security at the Capitol, two months after rioters breached the building in an attack that left five people dead. Law enforcement has remained in a heightened security posture in response to intelligence suggesting possible threats to the Capitol by militia groups.

The request to extend the deployment met resistance last week, as some governors expressed reluctance or flatly refused to commit their troops to more time in the city. There now appears to be enough states willing to provide Guard troops for the mission, said the defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby would not confirm the impending approval, but said Austin is expected to make a decision “very, very soon.”