National Guard ordered to develop “Quick Reaction Force”

The memo, signed on 8 October by Major Gen Ronald Burkett, the director of operations for the Pentagon’s national guard bureau, sets the size of the quick reaction force to be trained in each state, with most states required to train 500 national guard members, for a total of 23,500 troops nationwide.

Burkett cited Donald Trump’s August executive order that deployed the guard to fight crime in Washington DC. The same order required the secretary of defense to create “a standing National Guard quick reaction force … available for rapid nationwide deployment” in “quelling civil disturbances”.

Janessa Goldbeck, a former US Marine Corps captain and chief executive of the Vet Voice Foundation, a non-profit advocacy group, said the order represented “an attempt by the president to normalize a national, militarized police force”.

With ICE on a rampage terrorizing our communities, our national guard is being ordered to develop a standing force to deploy against Americans. Judge Immergut issued a preliminary ruling on Sunday that finds the federal government violated Title 10 of the U.S. Code and the 10th amendment by federalizing and attempting to deploy Oregon, Texas and California National Guard troops to Portland over the objections of state and local leaders and California’s governor. Her final judgement is anticipated by Friday at 5 p.m.

Be assured that this will not the end of this fight. We must continue to be vigilant.