WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The National Guard is planning to train hundreds of troops in each state to be part of a rapid-response force focused on civil disturbance missions by the start of next year, two U.S. officials said on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump has increasingly embraced using the military to support his domestic agenda, including deploying troops to Democratic-led cities like Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C.
The latest move follows an executive order signed by Trump in August, which called for each state to have National Guard troops who could be quickly deployed for “quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety and order.”
Two U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said each state would be required to have such a force by the start of next year. Most of the states would be required to have 500 troops as a part of the force.
The specific date for the move was first reported by the Guardian, which cited a National Guard memo from October 8.
A Pentagon spokesperson did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Wednesday.
It is unclear how the force would be different from existing quick-reaction forces already available to each state.
According to the National Guard, each state already has a specially trained force that can take part in missions, including civil disturbance control.
The existing National Guard forces must be able to deploy up to 125 troops within eight hours and a follow-on force of up to 375 personnel within 24 hours.
During a trip to Japan earlier this week, Trump told U.S. troops he was prepared to send “more than the National Guard” into U.S. cities if needed.
“We have cities that are troubled … and we’re sending in our National Guard. And if we need more than the National Guard, we’ll send more than the National Guard because we’re going to have safe cities,” Trump said.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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