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The head of the Pentagon, General Lloyd Austin, approved this Tuesday the extension until May 23rd of the militarization of the U.S. Capitol, initiated in January.
In a statement, the Pentagon said that despite the extension, the contingent of soldiers will be reduced to about 2,300, about half of those now deployed.
Austin’s decision comes after the Capitol Police asked the Pentagon for the extension last week.
“During this extended period, Department of Defense officials will work with the Capitol Police to gradually reduce the National Guard presence as conditions permit,” the general said.
On January 6th, a group of Trump supporters stormed Congress with the intention of halting the certification process that was then occurring in both legislative chambers of the election results won by the now-President, Joe Biden.
Following the event, the Pentagon militarized the U.S. Capitol with more than 5,000 National Guard troops, creating a huge security perimeter to shield the U.S. Congress in preparation for Biden’s inauguration on January 20th.
Although there have been no incidents for more than two months, the security measures around the Congress have been maintained.
