Die kommandant-generaal van die Washington, DC, National Guard testified Wednesday that he did not need authorization from Pentagon leaders before deploying troops in response to protests at the nation’s capital last summer but that changed in the days before the January 6 opstand.
The shift in guidance, according to DC National Guard Commanding Maj. Genl. William Walker, was communicated in a January 5 memo that stated he was required to seek approval from the Secretary of the Army and Defense before preparing troops to respond to a civil disturbance.
“It required me to seek authorization from the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of Defense to essentially protect my guardsmen,” he told senators during a hearing on security failures related to the Capitol building attack.
“So, no civil disturbance equipment could be authorized unless it was came from the Secretary of Defense … the secretary of defense, told me I needed his permission to escalate to have that kind of protection,” Walker bygevoeg, calling the January 5 memo “unusual.”
Asked about the Army’s response to former US Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund’s request for additional forces, Walker said he was “stunned.”
“I was frustrated. I was just as stunned as everybody else on the call,” hy het gesê.
Walker also testified that it took Army leaders more than three hours to authorize the use of troops to help quell the January 6 opstand, suggesting the response time fell well short of “sprint speed,” as characterized by the top US military official.
The timeline of events provided by Walker was similar to the one outlined by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Genl. Mark Milley said in an interview with The Washington Post.
But unlike Milley, who said the Pentagon acted quickly to mobilize National Guard troops once it received a request for additional help on January 6, Walker indicated that he felt the authorization process should have taken less time and said roughly 150 troops were ready to be deployed to the Capitol hours before they ultimately were given the green light.
“The approval for Chief Sund’s request would eventually come from the Acting Secretary of Defense and be relayed to me by Army Senior Leaders at 5:08 nm. — 3 hours and 19 minute later,” Walker said Wednesday in his prepared statement.
“We already had Guardsmen on buses ready to move to the Capitol. gevolglik, by 5:20pm (in under 20 minute) the District of Columbia National Guard arrived at the Capitol,” Walker bygevoeg.
But Walker’s timeline conflicted with testimony from Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Security Robert Salesses, who said Wednesday that the full DC National Guard was activated within an hour, highlighting the disagreements — even between the Defense Department and the National Guard — over how quickly the Pentagon responded to the riots.
Former Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy directed the DC National Guard to begin full mobilization. Approval from Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller came at 4:32 nm., Salesses added, and McCarthy then ordered the Guard to leave the Armory and head for the Capitol.
Hierdie storie is besig om te breek en sal opgedateer word.
