Beshear activates Kentucky National Guard for security duty at state Capitol
Gov. Andy Beshear has activated the Kentucky National Guard to assist with security in Frankfort in the days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden “for any planned act of terror that might be perpetrated by anybody out there.”
“We will be prepared to ensure that what happened in the U.S. Capitol does not happen here in Kentucky,” the Democratic governor said Thursday. “That is our commitment. We will be ready.”
He also said about 270 personnel from the state Guard are headed to the Washington, D.C., “region” to assist with security during the inauguration.
Federal and state law enforcement officials are preparing for possible violence by radical conservatives and extremists in Washington and statehouses around the country. Many rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and there is growing concern about security in association with Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
The Kentucky Capitol has been the scene of several armed protests against Beshear for his emergency orders during the coronavirus pandemic. At one rally last year, the Democratic governor was hanged in effigy.
Beshear declined to say how many state Guard personnel will be on duty in the coming days in Frankfort and where they will be located. The Kentucky State Police is in charge of security at the Capitol.
Concerning the Guard activation for Washington duty, Beshear said, “The peaceful transfer of power is one of the bedrocks of our democracy. Historically, the Kentucky National Guard has assisted in and around Washington, D.C., during presidential inaugurations.”
In light of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, “more of our airmen and servicemen have been requested to be there and we have said yes, absolutely yes,” he said.
Beshear said he and Kentucky Adjutant General Haldane “Hal” Lamberton thank the families and employers of the Guard members “for their unwavering support.”
Kentucky Guard soldiers and airmen in Washington will assist in protecting property and providing a safe environment for citizens to exercise their right to peacefully assemble and protest, said a release from Stephen D. Martin, public affairs director for the state Guard.
He said the Guard members will begin leaving the state in the next several days and will be on duty in and around Washington, D.C., through the inauguration.
Lamberton said the Guard members will have a variety of roles and responsibilities, including support to civil authorities for immediate response capabilities, food service assistance and chaplain care.
Many states are providing some type of support to the Inauguration, with thousands of Guard members scheduled to be in attendance.
In a memorandum published Tuesday to the U.S. military, the Joint Chiefs of Staff wrote, “The American people have trusted the Armed Forces of the United States to protect them and our Constitution for almost 250 years.
“As we have done throughout our history, the U.S. military will obey lawful orders from civilian leadership, support civil authorities to protect lives and property, ensure public safety in accordance with the law, and remain fully committed to protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 4:58 PM.
