Georgia National Guard Troops in Washington, DC for Inauguration
Macon-based 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team take up security positions to assist the U.S. Capitol Police Department prior to the Presidential Inauguration in Washington D.C.,
Thousands of National Guard troops are in the nation’s capital from as far away as Guam to support authorities through today’s presidential inauguration.
According to the Military Times, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy has now authorized up to 21,000 National Guard troops from around the country to assist law enforcement with security surrounding the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
That’s an increase of 1,000 from the up to 20,000 previously authorized.
Georgia’s Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Tom Carden Jr., said that as of Tuesday, 25,000 members of the National Guard were on the ground in Washington to assist D.C. and federal authorities through the inauguration.
That includes Georgia’s 3rd Battalion 121 Infantry Regiment, the Decatur-based 170th Military Police (MP) Battalion, the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and the 165th Airlift Wing of the Air National Guard out of Savannah.
Georgia Guardsmen mobilized last Friday and were on the ground in DC by Sunday.
Volunteers from the Guam National Guard departed from the A.B. Won Pat International Airport in Tamuning on Jan. 17, en route to Washington – a journey of about 7,900 miles.
Guam, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, West Virginia, and Indiana were among the latest to deploy Guardsmen and women to Washington.
About 680 West Virginia National Guard members were dispatched, along with 650 South Carolina Army National Guard Soldiers, more than 620 members of the Indianapolis National Guard, and 174 Louisiana Guardsmen.
The National Guard support in D.C. includes manning traffic control and security checkpoints, ensuring that spectators are able to move around smoothly and safely before, during, and after inaugural events.
Additionally, the contingent from the West Virginia National Guard includes a specialized team of Soldiers and Airmen from the 35th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosive (CBRNE) Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP). They will assist D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services and the 33rd Civil Support Team.