The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Military may stay at Capitol until May
National Guard asked to remain because of threat from extremists.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police have requested a 60-day extension of some of the 5,200 National Guard members activated in the District of Columbia in response to security threats and the Jan. 6 assault on Congress, opening the door to a military presence in the nation’s capital into spring, defense officials said Thursday.
Acting chief Yogananda Pittman submitted the request to the Defense Department for an extension, Capitol Police said in a statement on Thursday evening, without saying for how long.
“The USCP is extremely grateful for the Department of Defense and the National Guard support provided since January 6th,” the statement said. “We understand the Guard has a tremendous service need back home responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Three defense officials said that the Pentagon received the extension request and that Defense Sec
retary Lloyd Austin and Army officials will consider it. If approved, it would keep Guard members on duty through May, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
About 5,200 Guard troops are on duty in Washington now, staffing a security perimeter around the Capitol that includes miles of fencing around one of the major symbols of American democracy. It was installed after the insurrection, launched by supporters of President Donald Trump after a “Stop the Steal” rally in support of his false claims that he won the election.
The D.C. National Guard referred questions about the request, first reported by The Associated Press, to the Pentagon.
“The current mission extends to March 12,” said Capt. Edwin Nieves, a spokesman for the D.C. National Guard. “We do not have an authorized extension of that mission at this time.”
The request appeared to catch D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser by surprise.
“It was our expectation that the additional forces would be leaving now,” she said, adding that Capitol Police have had limited communication with the city about their security requests. “We don’t know why additional forces have been requested until May . ... It was our expectation that the National Guard support would be lessened significantly around this time.”
Rumors of the National Guard
extending its stay in Washington have been persistent for weeks. One defense official familiar with the talks said that discussions have included the possibility of scaling back the number of troops around the Capitol, but keeping others ready at the D.C. Armory, about two miles away, for a possible emergency.
The National Guard initially responded a few hours after the breach of Congress, in a move that critics have said was too slow. Its presence expanded to about
26,000 members from across the country for Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration, and has steadily declined since.
The entire D.C. National Guard has about 2,700 soldiers and airmen, according to Guard officials. About 1,100 of them are devoted to the Capitol security mission, Nieves said.
They are supplemented by Guard members from other states, who are sent at the direction of their governors. While in D.C., they are all under the command
of Maj. Gen. William Walker, the head of the D.C. National Guard.
The appearance of the military forces, and the onerous security measures in place, have become controversial — and politicized — in recent weeks.
On Thursday, Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-okla., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the request “outrageous.”
Inhofe said the extended deployment of National Guard members, who mostly have civilian jobs, is destroying people’s careers.
“That’s not what they’re supposed to be, that’s not their mission,” Inhofe said. “We have the Capitol Police, that is their mission.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-minn., the chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, said she would like to see the number of guardsmen “eventually” curtailed.
“But you want to listen to the law enforcement intelligence about what is safe,” she said.
Rep. Peter Meijer, R-mich., whose state has Guard members in D.C., expressed frustration with a lack of transparency by the Capitol Police.
“Getting information from Capitol Police leadership has been like pulling teeth,” he said in a tweet. “Direct answers are hard to come by — I learn more from what’s leaked to media than in briefings. We cannot allow the National Guard to be used as a Band-aid for a lack of USCP strategy/leadership.”
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-mich., said Thursday that she was hearing from National Guard officials about the Capitol Police request for an extension, and the National Guard is soliciting states to send or keep forces in the District. She also called for more transparency.
“No one likes seeing the fortress-like security around the Capitol. And no one wants to again have a security problem in and around this symbolic place,” she said. “But whether an extension has been requested or the mission is indeed terminating on March 12, it’s critical that members of Congress get a briefing on what’s behind these decisions.”