The National Guard is gearing up to activate across the country to support the Nov. 3 general election in several capacities. The missions range from assisting with cyber defense, working the polls, and standing-by in case of post-election civil unrest, according to Military Times.
There was a new round of newly-disclosed Guard activations Monday, including 1,000 troops in Massachusetts, 300 in Arizona, 300 in Alabama, and an undisclosed number in Florida, Oregon and Illinois.
The Massachusetts and Oregon troops will be on standby in case of civil unrest, and the Arizona forces will be on standby for rapid deployment anywhere in the western portion of the nation if requested by any governor. National Guard officials in Illinois would not elaborate on the roles their newly activated troops would play.
At least 3,671 Guard troops have been committed to the effort. The size of the authorized deployments ranges from 1,000 in Texas and Massachusetts to a single soldier in Wyoming. Some states are yet to determine how many troops will be activated, and many states have merely alerted selected units in anticipation of possible post-election unrest.
All of the troops currently activated are on state orders and are under the control of their respective governors.
MAH/PR