Prepared: 20,000 National Guard troops expected in D.C. for Biden’s inauguration.
More than 20,000 National Guard members could be in the nation’s capital to help secure President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, Washington, D.C., Police Chief Robert Contee said Wednesday, as sources said officials are considering raising the terrorism threat level and are worried about explosives being used in the capital city.
Contee’s announcement came as the U.S. Secret Service on Wednesday officially took charge of security for Biden’s inauguration as authorities warn of new threats across the country and unfold a massive security presence in Washington after last week’s violence at the U.S. Capitol.
Multiple defense officials have said the National Guard and law enforcement expect improvised explosive devices, like pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails, to be a threat in the unrest surrounding the inauguration in Washington. The planning is to assume perpetrators will come with high “aggression,” one senior defense official said.
“Their intentions are very serious,” the official added.
The physical security perimeter around the Capitol and other key buildings also continues to expand. Roadblocks and steel barriers are extending many blocks from the Capitol. Roadblocks are also being set up farther out from the White House and the U.S. Naval Observatory, where the vice president lives.
The Secret Service is leading the overall security effort working in coordination with federal law enforcement agencies and the Pentagon. Multiple senior defense officials said there were major interagency “requirements” meeting Wednesday to discuss in-depth security requirements.
Asked if he’s ever seen this much law enforcement reinforcement coming to the district, the newly installed Contee, who is a veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department and a lifelong D.C. resident, answered, “not at this level, no.”
Multiple defense officials said the total request for National Guard is close to 30,000 guardsmen to support U.S. Capitol Police, Park Police and the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, but officials believe that the actual number needed is closer to 20,000. The final numbers will be provided by the Secret Service.
The officials added that there is no concern that there will be any shortage of Guard forces to meet requirements from the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The more than 20,000 National Guard members expected for Biden’s inauguration is more than three times the number of active duty U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria combined, a staggering statistic that underscores just how massive the security presence will be.
The Defense Department is meeting Trump’s Friday deadline to draw down the number of troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan to 2,500 in each country, according to the Pentagon. About 900 U.S. troops will remain in Syria, multiple defense officials said.