Hundreds of National Guard troops will be deployed in Washington to help police deal with traffic issues related to the trucker convoy protests against pandemic restrictions that are set to start this week, officials have said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved the deployment, which had been requested by the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and U.S. Capitol Police (USCP), Pentagon officials said.
“Our MPD and USCP partners have asked for our help in ensuring people can demonstrate peacefully and safely, and we stand ready to assist,” Maj. Gen. Sherrie L. McCandless, D.C. National Guard commanding general, said in a statement to news outlets. “The people who live, work and visit the District are part of our community, and their safety is our first mission priority.”
The approval will enable around 400 D.C. National Guard members to “provide support at designated traffic posts, provide command and control, and cover sustainment requirements,” the National Guard said in a statement.
The troops deployed to the area won’t be armed and won’t help with law enforcement or carry out domestic surveillance activities. No aircraft has been approved for use.
Austin also approved USCP’s request for assistance for up to 300 National Guard troops from outside the Washington area to help at certain traffic posts and Capitol entry points, Breitbart reported. That will begin on Feb. 26, according to Breitbart, which noted that 50 large tactical vehicles will also be placed at designated traffic posts on a 24-hour basis in the area.
A Pentagon spokesperson didn’t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told news outlets in a statement on Feb. 22 that the department was “analyzing a request for assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police and the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.”
“Those agencies have asked for National Guard personnel to provide support at traffic control points in and around the District to help the USCP and D.C. government address potential challenges stemming from possible disruptions at key traffic arteries. No decisions have been made yet to approve these requests,” he added.
USCP stated recently it was planning extra security in the nation’s capital ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1, which looks set to coincide with the trucker convoy protests.
Multiple convoys are planning to descend on the Washington area in protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates, among other issues and policies of the Biden administration.
Similar demonstrations have been held in Canada in recent weeks, prompting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to invoke the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canada’s history, using it to freeze the bank accounts of protesters and their supporters.
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