Photo By Master Sgt. Becky Vanshur | The Idaho National Guard sent more than 300 Soldiers and Airmen to Washington, D.C....... read more read more
Subscribe
The Idaho National Guard sent more than 300 Soldiers and Airmen to Washington, D.C. today to assist district and federal agencies with the presidential inauguration. These Guardsmen will augment the D.C. National Guard and serve in support of the U.S. Secret Service, the lead federal agency responsible for coordinating the event.
Personnel began departing from Gowen Field less than 72 hours after Governor Brad Little approved the mission. The Nation’s Guard response could include an estimated 21,000 Guard members from all states and territories.
“The National Guard has participated in every presidential inauguration in our nation’s history,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, adjutant general of Idaho. “It is an honor to be a part of the tradition of ensuring the peaceful and orderly transition of national power; an act that separates us from many other countries across the world.”
Guardsmen traveled to Washington, D.C. via military and contracted aircraft with standard government-issued equipment to perform a number of potential tasks to include security, communications, medical, logistics, and safety support to district and federal agencies. Nearly half of the National Guard task force will conduct security-related duties to include traffic control or by assisting visitors to proper assembly locations as well as entry and exit points.
The Idaho National Guard has planned for more than a month to send roughly a dozen personnel to the region in support of the inauguration. The increase in personnel is part of a new request to provide additional Guard support and represents roughly seven percent of the Idaho National Guard force.
This deployment does not involve the 200 Soldiers and Airmen already working in their communities as part of the COVID-19 response effort. The Idaho National Guard will continue to maintain its capacity to provide emergency response in Idaho, whether it be a COVID surge, civil unrest, natural disaster or other emergency response function.
The Idaho National Guard has deployed out of state in support of national emergencies in the past. From Hurricane Katrina in 2005, wildland fire suppression in Oregon and Washington in 2015, to Puerto Rico for Hurricane Maria recovery support in 2017, the Idaho National Guard has provided hundreds of Soldiers and Airmen over the last decade in response to national emergencies.
More recently, last summer the Idaho National Guard sent Soldiers and helicopters to fight California wildfires and more than 400 Soldiers to Washington, D.C. to assist with civil unrest response. Additionally, the Idaho National Guard continues to provide state emergency relief here at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Date Taken: | 01.15.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 01.15.2021 18:05 |
| Story ID: | 387068 |
| Location: | BOISE, ID, US |
| Web Views: | 99 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, Idaho National Guard sends 300 to support presidential inauguration, by MAJ Robert Taylor, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT