20,000 Guardsmen stationed at Capitol
WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia National Guard said on Wednesday that it has been authorized to arm troops assigned to security duty on the U.S. Capitol grounds.
The Guard said in a statement that the authority was requested by federal authorities and approved by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy.
Another 5,000 members of the National Guard were authorized to support Inauguration Day security in Washington, D.C., city officials said, increasing the total to at least 20,000 in a rapidly swelling security apparatus focused on the Capitol.
“I think you can expect to see somewhere upwards beyond 20,000 members of the National Guard that will be here in the
footprint of the District of Columbia,” acting D.C. police chief Robert Contee said at a news conference.
A defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Pentagon officials were still working through plans for providing additional security support to the inauguration.
The official said that a discussions with city and federal officials over the final number of National Guard that will be sent into Washington were still at a notional stage, as officials plan for what is needed and take part in tabletop exercises led by the Secret Service.
For now, officials say 10,000 will be in place by the weekend. National Guard forces in and around the Capitol will be armed, while others are expected to be unarmed.
Defense Department officials are scrambling to establish a plan for providing National Guard aid for the inauguration and avoid a repeat of last week’s insurrection at the Capitol.
Where visitors once walked in the Capitol, hundreds of Guard members camped out, protecting lawmakers still reeling from last week’s violence and preparing for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
The Capitol grounds were wrapped in seven-foot fences, and scores of other law enforcement officers and troops kept a watchful eye.
A replica of the dome that stands atop the Capitol, the Statue of Freedom, resides in the Capitol’s visitor center. Beneath it, soldiers slept on marble floors while others huddled to discuss their marching orders for the day.
They massed together from one end of the giant hall to the other and their numbers made it impossible to follow the signs calling for social
distancing. To protect from COVID-19, they wore masks, and to protect from potential violence, they stockpiled riot shields and gas masks.
Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, a military veteran who lost both legs in the war in Afghanistan, was shocked at the sight of so many soldiers. “It’s as sad as anything can make me in this world,” Mr. Mast said as he gave some of them a tour.
The Capitol always sees stepped-up security leading up to an inauguration, but it
rarely looks like the nation is on a war footing.
But with the signs of fear, there were also signs of gratefulness for those protecting the Capitol. A tunnel leading to House office buildings has become a makeshift tribute to members of law enforcement who protected the Capitol when a violent mob overran the building in an attempt to derail the certification of Electoral College votes in the presidential election. More than 50 police officers were injured, including 15 who were hospitalized.
One was killed.
Outside of the Capitol, members of the National Guard — many carrying semi-automatic assault rifles — are supplementing the work of the U.S. Capitol Police, forming perimeters around each of the office buildings that lawmakers and their staffs use when not in the Capitol for votes. The number of entrances into the buildings has been dramatically diminished and those approaching must present a credential to get in.