1,000 VA National Guard members to remain on duty in Washington D.C following security protection for Biden Inauguration

Around 1,000 members of the Virginia National Guard will remain stationed in Washington D.C to provide additional security at the request of local and federal officials.

They will join around 6,000 other National Guard members from dozens of states who will continue to be on the grounds of the nation’s capitol.

“Virginia National Guard personnel are remaining on duty following the presidential inauguration at the request of local and federal authorities, and they will remain on duty until those agencies no longer require our direct support,” said Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia. “We expect our troops to conduct security-related missions to include crowd control, traffic control and assisting with entry and exit points. We are incredibly proud of the professionalism and dedicated service they have demonstrated throughout this mission, and they will continue to play an important role in helping keep their fellow citizens safe.”

It follows a massive security response of around 25,000 national guard personnel who were called to duty in D.C in providing protection during the Inauguration of President Joe Biden after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol that left five dead including a Capitol Police Officer.

Photo Courtesy: Virginia National Guard (A Virginia National Guard Soldier assigned to Alpha Company, 229th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team stands guard at the Capitol during the 59th Presidential Inauguration Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington, D.C.)