Up to 15,000 National Guardsmen could be at Biden's inauguration
The number of National Guard troops deployed around next week's inauguration could rise from at least 10,000 to 15,000, the National Guard’s top general said Monday.
"Support requests from the Secret Service, Capitol Police and Park Police have been authorized to provide up to 15,000 Guard members to meet current and future support requirements," Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, told reporters on a phone briefing. "They are troops that have been requested to support security, logistics liaison and communication missions."
Hokanson said that there are currently 6,200 Guardsmen in the District, and there would be 10,000 in place by Saturday.
![](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/national-guard-capitol-ss-jt-210111_1610395592537_hpMain.jpg)
![](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/national-guard-capitol-rt-jt-210111_1610395915947_hpEmbed_3x2_992.jpg)
The National Guard has always participated in inaugurations, and there were 9,000 members on hand last year, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, the number had been reduced to 5,000 for 2021. Last week's insurrection at the Capitol changed those plans, and Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman additionally made clear that the Guardsmen will be remaining in Washington after Inauguration Day.
"We're not looking at Jan. 20 as the last day and people will pack up and go home at the conclusion of all the events," he said. "There will be some elements that will remain for a brief period to ensure safety and security in the days following the inauguration as well."
Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, said no decision has been made yet about whether to arm the Guardsmen but characterized that possibility as an "ongoing discussion."
"Obviously, we're very concerned that we want our individuals to be have the right to self defense," he said.
-ABC News' Luis Martinez