No Longer Under US President, Washington DC National Guard Deployment Approval Turns To Secretary Of Defense

The National Guard is deployed to Capitol Hill after the January 6 riots. (Twitter/ChiefNGB)

JAKARTA - The Pentagon on Thursday announced that the secretary of defense would be the individual responsible for approving a request that would involve the District of Columbia National Guard troops in civilian law enforcement activities.

The move comes as a result of the Pentagon's months-long review of how the military generally handles requests for the National Guard in Washington, DC

Unlike the National Guard in the states, the DC National Guard is the only one reporting to the President of the United States (US), with powers previously delegated to the Secretary of the Army by the Secretary of Defense.

The review was launched after questions were raised about whether the National Guard was deployed quickly enough to try and help stop the January 6 mob that attacked Capitol Hill Building on January 6, 2021.

"The Secretary of Defense is now the sole approval authority for all requests that will involve District of Columbia National Guard personnel, who participate directly in civilian law enforcement activities or that require the deployment of DCNG (DC National Guard) personnel within 48 hours of receiving the request, ' said a Pentagon statement, citing Reuters December 31.

The National Guard stands guard on Capitol Hill, Washington DC (Twitter/ChiefNGB)

The Pentagon said it had also created an in-building unit to act as a single point for such requests.

Meanwhile, William Walker, whose Capitol Hill riot became commander of the District of Columbia National Guard, told senators during a hearing in March that it took Pentagon officials more than three hours to approve a request by US Capitol Police for National Guard troops to support police who were attacked by rioters.

Four people died in rioting by supporters of former President Donald Trump, with a Capitol police officer dying the following day from injuries sustained while securing Capitol Hill.

To note, the incident also left hundreds of police injured during the hours-long attack and four officers guarding the Capitol later committed suicide.