Between 75 and 100 local soldiers and airmen are set to be deployed to Washington D.C. in the coming days, according to Brigadier General Andrew Chevalier, who is coordinating the effort.
The troops will join thousands of servicemen and women in the area before and during the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. According to Chevalier, they may be armed as needed.
“They will support the different federal agencies down there, and if arming is a requirement, they will be armed,” Chevalier said Wednesday.
“We are sending down a specialized unit of part of the Air National Guard security forces, and they are well-trained in supporting law enforcement operations.”
Rhode Island National Guard troops have provided security at previous inaugurations, including the 2017 inauguration of President Donald Trump.
“I will tell you, though, that the size of the support from Guard Nation as a whole has increased due to the current events,” Chevalier said. “There’s certainly a heightened level of awareness.”
But many of Rhode Island’s roughly 3,000 local National Guard troops will stay in the state to continue helping with the local response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Guard is also part of local talks with state and municipal law enforcement related to possible violence locally. The FBI has reportedly warned of potentially violent demonstrations in all 50 states, in the days leading up to Joe Biden’s inauguration.
“At this point in time, the FBI Boston Division is not aware of any specific or credible threats of violent protests at the four state capitals in our area of responsibility,” said Kristen Setera, spokesperson for the local FBI branch, which covers Rhode Island.
“We always do some contingency planning and we will continue to do that,” Chevalier said. “Right now, we don’t have any specific threats that have been shared with us.”
Earlier this week, Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare and State Police Head Col. James Manni, declined to comment on any safety planning that may be in the works in Providence and Rhode Island, respectively.
The State Police also oversees the Capitol Police who are currently working in a much more lightly populated statehouse due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to maintain COVID-19 precautions, like social distancing, the House of Representative is meeting at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, and the Senate is meeting at Rhode Island College. The Rhode Island Statehouse is closed to the public, though General Assembly staff are still working there, according to a spokesperson for the Senate.