National Guard Ready For Major Unrest With Rapid Response Units

Faye HigbeeOctober 5, 2020

0 620 2 minutes read

The National Guard now has two rapid response police units, one in Arizona and one in Alabama, in preparation for a major unrest situation. Each unit has 300 members. The Arizona unit will deploy to the West and the Alabama unit to the East…theoretically within 24 hours. Are they reading the tea leaves for the election?

Rapid Response units

According to KFOR, most major cities in the US are gearing up for major rioting just before and after the election on November 3.

“The National Guard has designated military police units in two states to serve as rapid reaction forces so they can respond quickly to any potential civil unrest around the country, following violent protests that rocked the nation’s capital and several states this summer.

Military leaders don’t explicitly tie the changes to concerns about possible election-related violence, but the nation is bracing for unrest surrounding the tumultuous presidential campaign, particularly if voting results are not known for days or weeks because of the increase in mail-in ballots.

According to the Guard, about 600 troops — 300 in both Alabama and Arizona — will be ready to deploy within 24 hours if requested by a governor in another state. Guard leaders have also bought more than $200,000 in new protective equipment, and have increased troop training on proper procedures in dealing with protests.”

The new units were created after the National Guard identified “shortfalls” in their responses to the rioting in June. They stated that communication issues between the states and the National Guard needed to be repaired.

Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?

Yes

“Coordination and communication were the probably the things that we’ll look back on and see very challenging…But the problem with that is how quickly can you marshal them together, ensure they have the appropriate training, ensure they have the appropriate equipment, understand the task you’re going to give them? It’s American streets. It could turn violent. It was an incredibly challenging thing.” Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy

The protocol: first the Governors utilize their own National Guard. If that doesn’t work, then they can request help from the surrounding region. These units were created for use if the other areas are experiencing such unrest that they need greater assistance. When the riots were at peak, there were around 43,000 National Guard troops in 34 states. Currently, there are only 3,200 in 10 states.

H/T Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children

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