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George Floyd’s death has caused hundreds of protesters to take over the streets all over the U.S. including Minneapolis, Memphis and Los Angeles.
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WASHINGTON – The Minnesota National Guard plans to deploy as many as 10,000 troops to respond to unrest in Minneapolis, a massive increase over the 850 now on duty.
Meantime, the Pentagon has offered to assist Minnesota with active-duty troops. So far, Gov. Tim Walz has not sought help from federal troops, according to a statement from Jonathan Hoffman, a Defense Department spokesman.
In Minnesota, the National Guard is activating as many as 10,000 soldiers and airmen, said Maj. Scott Hawks, a spokesman for the Minnesota National Guard. On Saturday morning, there were 858 Guardsmen on duty. By afternoon, another 1,000 were expected to bolster that force, Hawks said.
“This is a moving number as Guardsmen are in a continuous process of coming
on orders as we are increasing our support to the state and community,” Hawks said in an email.
The number of Guard troops activated is expected to be between 2,500 and 10,000, he said, but likely to be closer to the upper end of that range.
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The Pentagon will make active-duty forces ready to deploy quickly if needed, Hoffman said.
“As a prudent planning measure, the department has directed U.S. Northern Command to increase the alert status of several units should they be requested by the Governor to support Minnesota authorities,” Hoffman said. “These are units that normally maintain a 48-hour recall to support state civil authorities for several contingencies (like natural disasters) and are now on 4-hour status.”
A senior Pentagon official downplayed orders to active-duty units to prepare for possible deployment. Prepare-to-deploy orders are common and are used for hurricanes and events like national political conventions.
It’s anticipated that National Guard troops will be capable of handling the current mission, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about military planning. Any active-duty forces would likely fill support and logistics roles.
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At an event at the White House, President Trump is asked about demonstrations over George Floyd’s death, and his conversation with Floyd’s family
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