bad optics for democracy continues, troop deployments in DC with authorization for 15,000 troops
Security measures in DC are about global and domestic consumption of the image of national security, lest the Russians and others think it’s like the troops needed for the coups at the end of Soviet communism, or even Ukraine and Belarus.
Rather than being like a head coach of general manager, Trump thought he could order DoD around like a team owner, but fortunately always acted like a slightly richer cheerleader.
The Defense and Justice departments were shocked by the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. They thought they had sufficient forces to contain the mob, but they were disastrously wrong. Command and control of police and federal law enforcement units was chaotic. The rules of engagement left police and National Guard troops without sufficient anti-riot gear in the early hours of the confrontation.Officials don’t want to make the same mistake this time. National Guard troops in the D.C. area for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration could total more than 20,000, more than 50 times the number initially available on Jan. 6, one senior official said. The Secret Service will coordinate planning. Active-duty Army troops from the Old Guard will be standing by at FortMyer in Northern Virginia, along with special units to handle medical emergencies, chemical or biological weapons attacks, and other threats. Also on alert will be Marines at the Marine Barracks at 8th and I streets in Southeast D.C., an official said.The goal is an overwhelming show of force, not just in Washington, but around the country. Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, chief of the National Guard, has been in touch with all 50 states to prepare for contingencies if insurgents carry out threats to attack state capitols. Airspace around the D.C. area will be tightly controlled, in higher altitudes where planes could operate and nearer the ground where drones might fly.
The storming of the Capitol was frightening to legislators trapped by the mob but also to military and law enforcement planners who knew such an attack would be possible but didn’t prepare adequately. What worried Pentagon officials was that some members of the mob were clearly military veterans — suggesting the insurgency might have supporters within the active-duty military itself.
Our national security apparatus failed last week. It will be ready for Inauguration Day, @IgnatiusPost writes https://t.co/dW2C33FMyp
— Washington Post Opinions (@PostOpinions) January 14, 2021
“Kill him with his own gun,” rioters raged as a DC Metro police officer lay stunned on the floor of the US. Capitol. Surrounded by an onslaught of terrorists, a police officer describes being tased in the neck multiple times, and going into survival mode. https://t.co/s6JyIySjaQ
— Stephanie Kennedy (@WordswithSteph) January 15, 2021
Lawmakers who interacted with the pro-Trump protesters who rioted at the Capitol last week could face criminal charges and will almost certainly come under close scrutiny in the burgeoning federal investigation into the assault, former prosecutors said. https://t.co/RN8qYDb1Y9
— John FitzGerald (@TheTweetOfJohn) January 15, 2021
According to a new CNAS report about the future of U.S. economic statecraft, "Policymakers in the next presidential administration and Congress would be well-served to spend at least as much effort focusing on the positive tools of statecraft." More: https://t.co/iXI9pTl2WP
— CNAS (@CNASdc) January 14, 2021
Ridiculous. The only comp is Hitler. https://t.co/YjWaTZfw1u
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) January 15, 2021
“We’re not stupid. Donald J. Trump is a genius.”
You can’t make it up…https://t.co/NMSXEUW5Rk
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) January 14, 2021
