Pentagon Considering New 'Protest Response Unit' for Eastern and Western U.S.

WP: Two Units of 300 Troops Each, Total Force of 600

The Washington Post (WP) reported on August 12 (local time) that the Donald Trump administration is considering establishing a new military unit for rapid deployment to cities in the event of protests or other incidents of social unrest.

On the 12th (local time), National Guard members are saluting each other in front of the armory in Washington DC. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

According to an internal Pentagon document obtained by WP, the Department of Defense is planning a "Domestic Civil Disturbance Rapid Response Force" composed of 600 National Guard personnel. This force would be divided into two units of 300 troops each, stationed at military bases in Alabama and Arizona. The two units would be responsible for the eastern and western United States, respectively, divided by the Mississippi River, and would maintain a constant state of readiness to deploy within one hour.

The establishment of this new unit is expected to be possible as early as the 2027 fiscal year (October 2026 to September 2027), following the Department of Defense's traditional budget process.

WP explained that while the National Guard already has teams that can respond to emergencies such as natural disasters in the states where their units are based, the Trump administration's current plan aims to deploy the National Guard to other states as well. However, according to the document, the plan has not been finalized, and it is unclear whether Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been briefed on it, WP reported.

Experts pointed out that this plan represents a significant departure from the traditional use of the National Guard. Lindsay Cohn, Associate Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, said, "It is strange that this issue is being pursued when, in fact, nothing is really happening." She noted, "Crime rates are falling, and there are few cases of state governments strongly opposing federal immigration policies. There is also no clear evidence that major unrest is likely to occur in the near future." She expressed concern that if this plan is implemented, it could reduce the National Guard resources needed to respond to natural disasters or other emergencies.

During his first term, President Trump also designated 600 National Guard members from Arizona and Alabama as a rapid response team ahead of the 2020 presidential election. At that time, nationwide protests against racial discrimination erupted following the death of George Floyd during a forceful police response, and the National Guard was deployed to several regions. President Trump also attempted to deploy active-duty combat troops to respond to the protests, but this was blocked by Pentagon leadership concerned about the politicization of the military.

U.S. law permits the domestic deployment of the military only in very limited circumstances. The National Guard typically operates under the command of state governors, not the president. Nevertheless, despite various controversies, President Trump has continued to use the military to address domestic issues during his second term.

The previous day, during a White House press conference, President Trump announced that he would place the Washington D.C. police under direct federal control and mobilize the National Guard to strengthen public safety. He stated, "We will initially deploy 800 National Guard members, and will add more if necessary," describing it as "a historic action to save the nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, chaos, and filth." In response, Secretary Hegseth said, "In a matter of weeks, you will see the National Guard on the streets of Washington, in accordance with the president's orders."

Earlier, in June, President Trump dispatched more than 5,000 National Guard and active-duty Marine Corps troops to Los Angeles, California, in response to large-scale protests against immigration enforcement. At that time, President Trump invoked a legal provision allowing for the deployment of the military in the event of an insurrection, while California Governor Gavin Newsom and the Democratic Party criticized it as an unnecessary abuse of power that heightened tensions.

President Trump also previously deployed about 3,000 active-duty troops to the southern border to crack down on illegal immigration. Regarding this, the Associated Press reported that of the approximately 9,200 troops already stationed at the southern border, about 5,000 were National Guard personnel.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.