Washington getting 200 more state National Guard members

An additional 200 Connecticut National Guard members will deploy to Washington D.C. to help secure the capital ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next week.

The group joins another 100 members approved by Gov. Ned Lamont earlier this week and who left for the nation’s capital Friday to join guard members from across the country pouring into Washington amid fears of more violence after the storming of the Capitol complex last week.

“At the request of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, I am approving the deployment of an additional 200 members of the Connecticut National

Guard to Washington, D.C., to aid in the effort to protect our democracy during the upcoming inauguration,” Lamont said in a statement.

“The peaceful transfer of power is a central tenet of American democracy, and Connecticut stands ready to aid in the protection of our country.”

The Connecticut contingent includes members of the guard’s military police and two canine teams dual-trained for both patrol and explosive detection.

The Connecticut guard also will contribute equipment and supplies, including ambulances, and the Air National Guard has placed a C-130H aircraft and its crews on alert so that they are capable of moving personnel throughout the country if needed, Lamont has said.

Tens of thousands of National Guard members from across the country descended on Washington this week to help Capitol police and local departments prepare for the likelihood of more armed protests and possible violence around Wednesday’s inauguration ceremony after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Although federal officials have warned about possible gatherings in all 50 state capitals, the FBI’s New Haven Field Division said Friday that it has not received specific threats against the Connecticut State Capitol or other government buildings.