January 1, National Guard Deployed to DC Ahead of Trucker Protest

The Pentagon approved the deployment of approximately 700 unarmed National Guard troops ahead of trucker protests slated for the State of the Union address next week.

The Department of Defense has said that the National Guard members will help with traffic control.

“Our [D.C. Police] and [Capitol Police] partners have asked for our help in ensuring people can demonstrate peacefully and safely, and we stand ready to assist,” said Maj. Gen. Sherrie McCandless, the commanding general of D.C. National Guard.

Local and federal authorities have issued warnings of a potential truck convoy disrupting President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.

An organizer of one convoy recently said he plans to drive from Pennsylvania to the Capitol Beltway to choke D.C. traffic like a “giant boa constrictor.”

In addition to 400 National Guard members from Washington, D.C., the deployment includes 100 troops from Vermont, 100 from New Jersey, and 80 from West Virginia.

The deployment also includes 50 “large tactical vehicles,” the National Guard Bureau said.

According to the Bureau, the troops will be unarmed and limited to traffic control and assisting at “select Capitol entry points.”

The deployment will last from Feb. 26 to Mar. 7.

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Pentagon approves 700 National Guard troops for SOTU