WASHINGTON — The nearly 1,100 members of the New York National Guard deployed to Washington on Friday began their mission patrolling the Capitol building and its grounds, and working on traffic control ahead of Wednesday’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
Col. Richard Goldenberg, a spokesman for the New York National Guard, said their presence was required “in light of the events of Jan. 6,” when a mob of supporters of President Donald J. Trump stormed the Capitol as members of Congress voted to accept the results of the presidential election, resulting in five deaths and dozens of injuries.
More than 20,000 National Guard troops from around the nation have been deployed to the city to ensure a safe inauguration. Final numbers of guardsmen and other security forces will be announced by the U.S. Secret Service, which has ultimate responsibility for inauguration safety.
The New York National Guard sent 1,090 troops, 200 of whom are members of the Air Force; the rest are soldiers, spokesman Eric Durr said.
“This is kind of a routine mission,” Durr said. “We normally send personnel to the District of Columbia for every inauguration.”
Leading up to Inauguration Day, some of the New York guardsmen have been on duty in and around the Capitol; they are armed, Durr said. Others are assisting in traffic control. All are prepared to be redeployed to address potential civil unrest.
Col. Jamey Barcomb, the senior officer on the ground for the New York National Guard, said his unit has been stationed in the Capitol and were being relocated to the Library of Congress to “provide security to key infrastructure in the area.”
Goldenberg said the troops are staying in area hotels. “The primary duty is the one that has been consistent with all previous inaugurals, which is providing security assistance to local law enforcement,” he said.
Barcomb explained that he and members of his unit train for these types of events year-round.
“We prepare to work with civil authorities,” said Barcomb. “We will do tabletop exercises and command-post exercises as individual units. And we will also, at times, do integrated training exercises with civil authorities for that purpose.”
Unlike previous missions, this mission “required a much faster and more robust response to respond to the civil disturbances,” he said.
Barcomb, who has been with the Army National Guard since 2006, explained how important this mission was to him.
“My greatest hope is that we are able to look back on this many years from now, and realize that — although it was an unfortunate circumstance that brought us here — we made a positive difference,” he said. “We were able to help facilitate the peaceful transition of authority.”
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