The Pentagon is developing plans to start a new National Guard “reaction force” designed to suppress civil unrest.
According to multiple media reports on Tuesday, the "Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force" would comprise 600 National Guard troops on standby. The troops would be divided into two groups of 300 and stationed in military bases in Arizona and Alabama.
A defense official told Fox News Digital the plans were still in the “pre-decisional” phase.
"The Department of Defense is a planning organization and routinely reviews how the department would respond to a variety of contingencies across the globe," a defense official told Fox News Digital. "We will not discuss these plans through leaked documents, pre-decisional or otherwise."
The troops, from the Army and Air Force National Guard, would be outfitted with weapons and riot gear and receive training. The reaction force teams would work on 90-day rotations to limit burnout, according to Fox News Digital.
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