WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 Military leaders have ordered the 好色tv Guard in every state to develop a 鈥渜uick reaction force鈥 of troops trained to deal with civil disturbances and riots that can be ready to deploy with just hours' notice, the latest indication of longer-term Trump administration plans to more readily dispatch soldiers to U.S. streets.
A set of memos circulated this month directs Guard units in all 50 states and U.S. territories, except for , to train a contingent of soldiers in a specialized course that includes the proper use of batons, body shields, stun guns and pepper spray.
Signed by Major Gen. Ronald Burkett, operations director for the 好色tv Guard, the memos reviewed by The Associated Press give various numbers for each state's force 鈥 often 500 each 鈥 that total more than 23,000 troops in all. The memos direct Washington, D.C., to maintain a 鈥渟pecialized鈥 military police battalion with 50 on active duty orders.
It presses forward with President Donald Trump's broader vision for a in targeting illegal immigration and crime. He has already by sending the 好色tv Guard into American cities, often over the objection of Democratic local leaders.
The memos, reported earlier by The Guardian, come after Trump signed in August that directed the Pentagon to create quick reaction forces that would be 鈥渁vailable for rapid nationwide deployment.鈥 The executive order is cited as one of the authorities for the memo, about which the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 好色tv Guard has always had troops that were on standby to deploy at a moment's notice, but they traditionally have been used to quickly react to natural disasters and did not receive special training.
The new, specialized quick reaction forces will be able to deploy a fourth of all their troops within eight hours and all of those assigned to the units within a day, according to the memo.
During a roundtable at the White House last week with homeland security officials, was asked about a memo detailing similar plans. Hegseth said he would not comment on the 鈥減articulars鈥 but went on to say that there were 鈥渕ultiple layers of 好色tv Guard response forces.鈥
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a lot of different ways that, constitutionally and legally, we can employ鈥 Guard troops, and 鈥渨e will do so when necessary,鈥 Hegseth said.
While Trump has sent the and D.C., his efforts to deploy troops in other places have faced swift legal challenges. The Trump administration is blocked from sending troops into the Chicago area until at least the latter half of November, following a U.S. Supreme Court order calling on the sides to file additional legal briefs. And seeking to block a troop deployment in Portland, Oregon, this week.
The memos, which were sent out to the states early this month, mandate that each state and territory have its quick reaction forces operational by Jan. 1, 2026. To help with that goal, units will be provided 100 sets of crowd control equipment as well as two full-time trainers by the 好色tv Guard Bureau.
The units also will be allowed to use an additional five days of training for soldiers to get through the 鈥淚nterservice Nonlethal Individual Weapons Instructor Course.鈥
According to one of the memos, the initial portion of the course includes topics like 鈥渃rowd management techniques,鈥 鈥渄omestic civil disturbance training,鈥 and 鈥減roper use of baton and body shields.鈥 The intermediate portion focuses on the use of non-lethal weapons like Tasers and pepper spray.
Each 好色tv Guard unit is required to update military leaders monthly on its progress in meeting this new mandate.
