Pentagon developing National Guard quick reaction force for civil unrest
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Members of the Texas National Guard arrive on Oct. 7 at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, Illinois. Photo: Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
The Pentagon is ordering National Guard "Quick Reaction Force" teams to be trained to respond to civil unrest across the country and ready to deploy by the start of next year, according a memo reviewed by multiple outlets.
The big picture: The Trump administration has used the Guard in unprecedented ways to target Democratic-led cities where the president alleges crime is rampant. That's triggered outrage over the use of federal troops on U.S. soil and serious legal concerns.
Context: The Defense Department memo, first obtained and shared by The Guardian, follows President Trump's August order calling for each state's Guard to have available troops for "quelling civil disturbances" and to form a "quick reaction force."
- The memo, posted by The Guardian, directs the National Guard Bureau to train the quick reaction force personnel to be operational no later than Jan. 1, 2026. It was signed Oct. 8 by Maj. Gen. Ronald Burkett, the bureau's director of operations.
- Training, per another page shared by The Guardian, includes crowd management, "Proper Use of Baton and Body Shields" and de-escalation techniques.
Friction point: Most state Guards have existing reaction forces. It's unclear how the new quick reaction force would train or operate differently from those units.
- A Pentagon official told Axios in a statement that the department is "fully committed to implementing the President's order to establish a specialized unit" in the DC National Guard and ensuring state and territory National Guard Reaction Force personnel are "appropriately trained and equipped to respond to civil disturbances."
- The official also said the Department of Defense would establish a National Guard Quick Reaction Force "for immediate nationwide employment if needed, trained in civil disturbance and law enforcement operations."
What they're saying: The National Guard Bureau wouldn't discuss the leaked documents but said in a statement that "the Department of War is a planning organization" and that the bureau, working with the secretary of defense and "the 54 states, territories and the District of Columbia, has been engaged in planning that will implement the direction President Trump laid out in Executive Order 14339."
What we're watching: Earlier this week, the president said his administration could send "more than the National Guard" to combat crime in U.S. cities.
- His fiery rhetoric risks inflaming tensions in cities already fearful of federal intervention, Axios' April Rubin reports.
- The president's militarized crime crackdown has faced roadblocks in court and has been challenged by state and local leaders. But that hasn't stopped him from escalating his talk and tactics.
Go deeper: National Guard appears to remain in D.C. "indefinitely," says city's AG
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from the Pentagon.
