Defense Department considers request for National Guard as law enforcement prepares for possible trucker convoys in DC
News Boston
The Department of Defense is considering a request for the District of Columbia National Guard to assist law enforcement agencies in Washington, DC, that are preparing for convoys to descend on the area, even as plans for a Canada-style trucker protest in the US capital remain murky.
“The Department is analyzing a request for assistance from the US Capitol Police and the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency,” DoD spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. “Those agencies have asked for National Guard personnel to provide support at traffic control points in and around the District to help the USCP and DC government address potential challenges stemming from possible disruptions at key traffic arteries.”
Kirby added: “No decisions have been made yet to approve these requests.”
Area law enforcement, including the Maryland State Police, Metropolitan Police Department in DC, and the United States Capitol Police, are closely monitoring the situation and in some cases ramping up security to deal with the possibility of major disruptions in the days leading up to and around President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1.