WASHINGTON — The National Guard’s top commander on Wednesday said a quick-reaction force to respond to threats on Capitol Hill is a concept better suited for law enforcement, as senators consider a security funding bill that would, in part, create a military unit for the job.
The $1.9 billion bill, passed by the House in May, would set aside $200 million to create a standing force within the District of Columbia Air National Guard to respond quickly to threats like the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
“Many of these [quick-reaction duties] are actually a law enforcement mission set,” Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard, told reporters at the Pentagon. “We’re not a SWAT team. We’re not law enforcement. We’re soldiers and airmen trained and equipped to fight our nation’s wars.”
The Guard sent thousands of troops on a four-month deployment to protect the Capitol after a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters on Jan. 6 broke in and attempted to disrupt the certification of the results of November’s presidential election. Local law-enforcement agencies handled the initial response.