Department of Defence officials and civilian authorities have repeatedly played down fears that the US National Guard could be called in to enforce martial law in one or more jurisdictions of the United States in response to the coronavirus pandemic, dismissing claims to the contrary as “false” and akin to “conspiracy theories.”
The Pentagon quietly activated a 10,000 troop-strong task force to secure Washington, DC in case of an emergency over a month ago and never informed the public about it, Newsweek has reported, citing a senior military officer said to be engaged in continuity of government planning, as well as three military sources familiar with United States Northern Command planning.
The force, known as Joint Task Force National Capital Region (JTF-NCR), takes its marching orders from Pentagon chief Mark Esper. It's commanded by Army Maj. Gen. Omar J Jones IV, commander of the Military District of Washington, ordinarily a largely ceremonial unit engaging in parades and duties at the Arlington National Cemetery.
According to Newsweek's information, the task force was activated on March 16, and in addition to its heretofore secret mission has a public face similar to that of other military units called up in recent weeks to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic, including the provision of medical support, the operation of mobile health-check centers and supply delivery.
Quietly, however, part of the force is being held back from these COVID-19 response…
