By Danielle
The Trump administration is considering establishing a “reaction force” comprising hundreds of National Guard members to deploy quickly into U.S. cities to quell civil unrest, multiple outlets reported.
The Washington Post first reported the story,
The outlet reviewed internal Pentagon documents that outlined a “Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force.”
The plan would place 600 National Guard troops on standby at all times and ready to deploy on a moment’s notice.
“The troops would reportedly be split into two groups of 300, stationed at military bases in Alabama and Arizona,” Fox News noted.
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The documents, reportedly prepared for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by policy chief Elbridge Colby, outline a “predecisional” idea.
“The Department of Defense is a planning organization and routinely reviews how the department would respond to a variety of contingencies across the globe,” a defense official told Fox News Digital. ” We will not discuss these plans through leaked documents, pre-decisional or otherwise.”
Trump has already deployed the military for domestic purposes, first in Los Angeles in June, sending 5,000 National Guard members and Marines to tamp down anti-immigration enforcement riots. On Monday, he deployed 800 D.C. National Guard troops to support law enforcement in Washington, D.C., in cracking down on violent crime.
The administration has also sent thousands of troops to the southern border in a show of force to discourage illegal immigration.
The administration would rely on Title 32, a status in which the National Guard operates under the command of a state governor but is funded by the federal government, according to the Post. The authority is typically used for domestic missions, such as responding to natural disasters. When deployed under Title 32, Guard members may be granted limited law enforcement powers. A section of the U.S. Code allows the commander in chief to bypass certain restrictions on using the military for domestic purposes.