Share
News

Reports: Cost of Keeping National Guard Stationed in DC Is Nearing $500 Million

Share

The bill for having National Guard troops in Washington to respond to threats that have not emerged is moving closer to $500 million as plans call for troops to remain in D.C. for at least another few weeks.

Fox News, citing a “senior defense official,” reported late Thursday that so far, it has cost the federal government $438 million to keep thousands of Guard troops in Washington.

Meanwhile, a report from Bloomberg on Thursday said the cost to date was at least $480 million. That figure was attributed to “two officials familiar with the situation.”

The Associated Press, quoting “U.S. military officials,” put the total at “nearly $500 million.”

Trending:
KJP Panics, Hangs Up in Middle of Interview When Reporter Shows He Isn't a Democratic Party Propagandist

Guard troops were summoned to Washington in the days after the Jan. 6 Capitol incursion amid fears of major demonstrations during the Jan. 20 inauguration of President Joe Biden. At its peak, the Guard presence in D.C. reached about 26,000.

After reports that Guard units were booted from the Capitol, where they had quartered between patrols, to a parking garage, some states called their troops home. A general reduction in force also took place, leaving about 7,000 troops to guard the Capitol and remain on hand as an insurance policy should the Capitol Police need help.

It’s not clear when — or if — the deployment will end.

Is it time to bring the troops home from D.C.?

Chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby has said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will have all Guard troops “stand down” in the next 60 days.

But according to a report in Stars and Stripes, it might be months before all of the troops leave.

Austin has agreed to keep 5,000 troops in Washington “indefinitely,” according to the report.

Acting Army Secretary John Whitley said the end date of the deployment is being negotiated.

“We believe that military forces should be used as a last resort,” Whitley said. “We faced an unprecedented crisis over the last three weeks, and our … National Guard responded in an exemplary manner, and we will always do that if there’s a need for the security of our nation.”

Related:
New Sign at Border Lists New Media Restrictions After Video Shows Migrants Overwhelming Soldiers on US Soil: Report

He said the Guard should not be the first option used to protect the Capitol.

“We want to continue to emphasize to our partners that we should be the last resort, and that every step should be taken to use appropriate law enforcement personnel before we’re called upon,” Whitley said. “In the short run, you use the forces you have, but in the long term we’d like to work with [law enforcement] and ensure in the future we are the last place you call.”

Some in Congress have called for an end to the deployment.

“The lesson of the Capitol riot is not that we should quarter a standing army at the Capitol just in case, but rather that our security measures should be calibrated to the actual threats,” Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas said.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , , ,
Share
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




Conversation