One Year After Jan. 6 Attack, Push For Quick Reaction Force Is Dead On Capitol Hill
Experts also warn changes at DOD won’t speed up how quickly Guardsmen could respond to future incidents.
By Jacqueline Feldscher
Senior National Security Correspondent
January 5, 2022 04:56 PM ET
After the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol that left members hiding in offices or crouching under desks on the House floor, lawmakers clamored for a military quick reaction force that could protect against more violence.
One year after the attack, the idea of a military unit to respond quickly has fizzled on Capitol Hill.
Last March, the Capitol Security Review Task Force recommended that Congress establish a quick reaction force within the D.C. National Guard to respond to crises at the Capitol. That followed the Jan. 6 attack, in which a mob of right-wing extremists overpowered police, entered the building, destroyed property, and threatened lawmakers. It took three hours for National Guardsmen to arrive on the scene, and they remained at the Capitol until May.
The report recommended that the quick reaction force consist of law enforcement personnel, rotations of military police from National Guard units across the country, or a permanent military police battalion within the D.C. National Guard.
