Was L.A. a test run? Is D.C.? A Pentagon plan for a permanent domestic military force to put down protests and "civil unrest".
When Trump took control of the California National Guard and moved them into Los Angeles, was that a test run for the creation of a national federal military force to put down protest?
Is Washington D.C. a test?
Documents released to the Washington Post suggest that is the case.
The Trump administration is making plans that would establish a “Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force” composed of hundreds of National Guard troops deployed into American cities in reaction to political protests according to internal Pentagon documents.
The plan calls for 600 troops to be permanently stationed and ready for deployment in as little as one hour. They would be split into two groups of 300 and be stationed at military bases in Alabama and Arizona.
Cost projections indicate that it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for military aircraft and aircrews required to be ready around-the-clock.
The documents, marked “predecisional,” contain extensive discussion about the potential political implications of establishing the program.
They were compiled by National Guard officials in late July and early August.
The National Guard tested the concept under President Biden ahead of the 2020 election, putting 600 troops on alert in Arizona and Alabama.
The test followed protests in cities across the country, prompted by the police murder of George Floyd, that resulted in National Guard deployments in numerous locations.