Trump Administration Offers Active-Duty Soldiers and Intelligence to Quell Unrest in Minnesota

Strategic Insights -

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, acknowledged the offer from the Trump administration as he announced that he was mobilizing the entire Minnesota National Guard. The move comes after several nights of rioting in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed in police custody this week in Minneapolis while handcuffed and on video. Walz downplayed the significance of the Pentagon's offer to send U.S. armed forces, saying that the military had been put "on readiness" before, but this time, the soldiers would be on a four-hour status, ready to deploy.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Trump administration has offered the use of active-duty soldiers and intelligence to assist in quelling unrest in Minnesota, including some forces who were put on alert to deploy.
  • The offer was made in response to several nights of rioting in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed in police custody this week in Minneapolis while handcuffed and on video.
  • Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, acknowledged the offer as he announced that he was mobilizing the entire Minnesota National Guard, a move that has never happened in the state's history.
  • The Minnesota National Guard has about 13,200 members, but not all will be involved in the mobilization, which will be significantly larger than the 700 guardsmen who were on duty on Friday night.
  • The National Guard will be supported by neighboring states, with Gov. Walz anticipating "significant support" from their National Guard forces.
  • The Pentagon has directed U.S. Northern Command to increase the alert status of several units, which normally maintain a 48-hour recall time, to a four-hour status.
  • Senior Pentagon officials are discussing ways that the military might be able to assist in Minnesota that do not require the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the President to use federal troops to put down lawlessness.
  • The Defense Department is "going in support of the governor, and that's our touchstone: What does the governor need to be successful?" said a senior defense official.
  • Intelligence officials are tracking possible foreign interference in the unrest, with Mick Mulroy, a former Pentagon official and retired CIA officer, warning that foreign intelligence services, especially the Russians, often use domestic unrest in the United States to their advantage.

Statistics:

  • The Minnesota National Guard has about 13,200 members.
  • The National Guard will be supported by neighboring states, with Gov. Walz anticipating "significant support" from their National Guard forces.
  • The Pentagon has directed U.S. Northern Command to increase the alert status of several units, which normally maintain a 48-hour recall time, to a four-hour status.
  • The units include military police forces, but other forces are involved, said a senior defense official.
  • The Defense Department is "going in support of the governor, and that's our touchstone: What does the governor need to be successful?" said a senior defense official.
  • The Pentagon's chief spokesman, Jonathan Rath Hoffman, said that Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, had talked to Walz twice in the last day.

Sources:

  • The Washington Post (by Dan Lamothe and Missy Ryan)
  • The Associated Press
  • ABC News (analytical contribution by Mick Mulroy)
  • The Pentagon (statements by Jonathan Rath Hoffman and senior defense officials)