States to have rapid-response National Guard units for civil disturbances by Jan. 1: Official
The National Guard is planning to train as many as 500 troops per state to serve as part of a rapid-response force focused on civil disturbance missions, according to two U.S. officials.
The move follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in August that called for each state to have National Guard quick reaction forces that could be deployed on short notice for "quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety and order."
Each state will be required to have a quick reaction force ready by the start of next year with most states required to have 500 personnel assigned to the force, the officials said.
The 50 states and four territories with National Guard troops already have dedicated quick-reaction forces that assist with natural disasters and civil disturbances.
Under a new plan, those existing forces will receive more personnel and more training that will be focused on dealing with civil disturbances to be in line with the executive order, said one of the U.S. officials.
The development was first reported by The Guardian which obtained a copy of an Oct. 8 internal memo from the National Guard detailing each state’s allotment. The Guardian posted the memo on its website.
Over the summer, Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles amid protests over the surge of immigration enforcement there and later to Washington, D.C., as part of what he called a crime-fighting initiative.
The Trump administration has also sought to deploy Guard troops in Chicago and Portland.
