January 18th – The Associated Press reported on the 18th that U.S. Department of Defense officials have urged the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to censor 25,000 National Guard personnel going to Washington for fear of internal attacks or other threats by security guards involved in defending Biden’s inauguration ceremony.
The Associated Press believes that this large-scale action reflects Washington’s extreme security concerns after the riots in the United States Congress on January 6, and also highlights another anxiety that some people assigned to protect the capital may pose a threat to the new president and other important figures attending the ceremony.
U.S. Secretary of the Army McCarthy told the Associated Press on the 17th that officials are aware of the potential threat.
He warned commanders to pay attention to any problems within the army as the inauguration ceremony approaches.
However, so far, no evidence of threats has been found, and no problems have been found during the review.
McCarthy also said: “We are constantly advancing the review process and conducting a second or third review of everyone involved in this operation.
Security personnel are also being trained to identify potential internal threats.”
According to U.S. media, about 25,000 National Guard members have flooded into Washington from all over the United States, at least 2.5 times the number of security guards at the previous presidential inauguration.
Although the military will regularly review whether the service personnel are connected to extremist organizations, the participation of the FBI in the review is a more special case.
According to McCarthy, during the violent attack on the U.S. Congress on January 6, service members from the army participated in the riot.
It is not clear how many people participated and how much damage it caused.
So far, only a few active-duty soldiers and members of the National Guard in connection with the attack have been arrested.
Compared with the rigorous examination of whether members of the National Guard pose a security threat, the U.S. Department of Defense is not so concerned about health threats.
CNN reported on the 16th that a spokesman for the National Guard said that 25,000 National Guard members will not be tested for the novel coronavirus before arriving in the capital, but only need to be tested for temperature, wear masks and maintain social distancing during the mission.
U.S. Air Force Captain Tinash Machona revealed that as of the afternoon of the 15th local time, 43 soldiers had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
