National Guard to create 'quick reaction force' in all states: reports

The National Guard will create a "quick reaction force" in each state, totaling about 23,500 troops, that are trained in crowd control and civil disturbance, according to reports about a leaked memo.

A memo dated Oct. 8 and signed by National Guard Bureau Director of Operations Maj. Gen. Ronald Burkett orders nearly every state, Puerto Rico, and Guam to train 500 Guardsmen for the QRF, The Hill news outlet reported. Less-populated states like Delaware and Alaska will have 250 and 350 Guardsmen, respectively, while Guam will have 100, and Washington, D.C., will maintain a “specialized” military police battalion with 50 Guardsmen on active duty orders, according to Task & Purpose.

The National Guard in each state must provide the “Interservice Nonlethal Individual Weapons Instructor Course” and civil disturbance training, which includes courses on de-escalation, crowd control, handheld radio communications, body shields, batons, tasers, pepper spray, and public safety, according to the memos.

Each state will receive 100 sets of crowd control equipment and two full-time Guardsmen on active duty orders to manage training, equipping, and response, with commanders providing monthly updates. The aim is for the QRFs to be operational by Jan. 1.

A National Guard spokesperson told Task & Purpose that the defense secretary, all states, territories, and D.C., are coordinating with the National Guard Bureau “in planning that will implement the direction” President Trump detailed in an Aug. 25 executive order.

The order directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to ensure that each state “designate an appropriate number” of trained National Guardsmen “to be reasonably available for rapid mobilization” to assist federal, state, and local law enforcement in “quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety and order whenever the circumstances necessitate, as appropriate under law.”

The Defense Department did not respond to The Hill's request for comment.