MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2021) The Pentagon has authorized 750 active-duty troops to support security efforts ahead of US President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, defense officials told Politico on Monday.
According to one of the officials, altogether, the Pentagon has authorized roughly 2,750 active-duty personnel to support the inauguration, however about 2,000 of the troops are for "ceremonial support."
The active-duty personnel deployed this week include service members with expertise in handling chemical, biological, nuclear, radiological and explosive weapons, as well as explosive ordnance disposal and medical teams skilled in trauma response, one defense official told Politico.
US Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said on Monday that the defense department was going to vet National Guard personnel deployed to Washington ahead of the inauguration, but the Pentagon had received no intelligence indicating an insider threat.
Earlier in the day, news outlets reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was vetting all 25,000 US National Guard troops who would be involved in ensuring security at the upcoming inauguration to exclude insider attacks.
On January 6, supporters of outgoing US President Donald Trump stormed Capitol Hill in a bid to prevent Congress from certifying the presidential election victory of Joe Biden. At least five people, including a female air force veteran, were killed and some 170 cases have been opened by police in connection with the riots. The US House of Representatives impeached Trump last week for inciting the riot. On Saturday, the US Department of Defense said that it would provide 25,000 troops, an unprecedented number, to ensure security during Biden's inauguration on January 20.
