In response to the Jan. 20 inauguration of the U.S. president, Washington, D.C., is increasing its manpower, with reports that as many as 20,000 National Guardsmen from across the country will be supporting the inauguration.
In a statement, the D.C. National Guard said that beginning next Tuesday (19) at 6 p.m., members of the National Guard will be armed and committed to maintaining security at the Capitol.
The request to arm was made by federal authorities, including the Secret Service, Park Police and Capitol Police, and was authorized by U.S. Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy.
Typically, 8,000 to 10,000 National Guardsmen are sent from across the country to support the presidential inauguration in the nation’s capital, but this year the numbers will greatly exceed those of previous years. So far, 44 states have pledged to provide reinforcements for the inauguration.
As of Wednesday, 6,600 National Guardsmen from six states and Washington, D.C., were already patrolling the District, including 800 deployed behind a 7-foot-high non-retractable fence at the Capitol. An estimated 10,000 troops are expected to be in place by Saturday.
Following last week’s storming of the Capitol, McCarthy announced that up to 15,000 National Guardsmen would be deployed and would remain in the capital for 30 days to ensure a peaceful transition of power.
The Washington Post reported that the previously authorized deployment of 15,000 National Guardsmen had been increased to 20,000, but the National Guard could not confirm the number when asked by the Washington Examiner.
While detailed state-by-state figures could not be provided, a spokesman for the National Guard in Washington, D.C., said Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey are the states with the most support.
Recent photos of the interior of the Capitol showing National Guard members huddled around the Capitol statue or lying side-by-side on the marble floor sleeping have sparked controversy, but a National Guard spokesman told The Washington Examiner that they were taking a break to get some shut-eye.
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