Members of the National Guard help police officers line up as they help police disperse protesters gathering in the US Capitol Building January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Tasos Katopodis | Getty Images
The DC National Guard will be deployed on a 30-day mobilization to ensure attendance for the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, two defense officials told NBC News.
The troops, who are unarmed, will monitor air traffic control points and provide support to Capitol Police on Thursday as authorities work to secure the perimeter around the Capitol a day after a gang supporting President Donald Trump storms it.
About 200 troops with riot gear will take to the streets in the morning and more may come later in the day, a defense official said.
The mobilization comes as the nation continues to process Wednesday’s surprising riot, in which at least four people died. All four surviving former presidents have condemned the events of the day, in which a violent mob disrupted lawmakers from the typically dutiful process of formal confirmation of Biden’s victory.
The DC National Guard was mobilized during the riots and about 1,100 troops were sent to assist local police in stopping the uprising, the Pentagon said. The stake came after Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi filed for the force, two sources told NBC News.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo have all announced plans to send National Guard troops to DC as well.
President Donald Trump, speaking at a rally to protest the results of the election shortly before his supporters infiltrated Congress, did not condemn the riot or admit defeat. He encouraged protesters to be peaceful after storming the Capitol.
The president has pursued unfounded allegations of voter fraud, despite the findings of his own government’s Justice and Homeland Security ministries to the contrary. A person familiar with the matter told NBC News that Trump needed to be convinced to approve the National Guard deployment on Wednesday.
Typically, the National Guard is present at inaugurations, and more than 7,000 troops were mobilized for Trump’s inauguration in 2017. It is not clear how many will be deployed for Biden’s inauguration.
Biden’s inauguration is expected to look very different from previous ceremonies due to public health precautions.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will take their oath of office at the Capitol on Jan.20, but have further changed the tradition to adapt to the spreading coronavirus pandemic.
The Biden transition team has said it is reshaping the typical National Mall gathering and inaugural parade from the Capitol to the White House in a way that allows Americans to participate from home.
Biden condemned the riots in a nationally broadcast television address on Wednesday.
“Right now, our democracy is under unprecedented attack,” said the former vice president.
“It is chaos, it borders on incitement and it must end now. I call on this crowd to withdraw and continue this democratic work,” added Biden.
The success that the rioters had in breaking police barriers has raised questions about the security measures that will be taken before the inauguration.
Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Who sits on the committee planning Biden’s inauguration, told CBS News that “there should be big, sweeping reviews of what happened and the changes made.”
Klobuchar added that compared to the electoral college’s vote counting, which generally takes place without incident, the inauguration every four years is a major security event.
“Here they had an event that usually comes with a little historical note,” said Klobuchar.
Subscribe to CNBC Pro for the TV live stream, in-depth insights and analysis on how to invest during the next presidential term.