GEN John Allen: Prepare National Guard to Back Fill U.S. Law Enforcement

General John Allen (Ret., USMC), who led the U.S. Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, penned at op-ed over at the Washington Post encouraging state and military officials to prepare the National Guard to back fill U.S. law enforcement.

Pointing out that 10,000 National Guard troops are already deployed, he and others write that preparing the National Guard for a law enforcement role “might be the most prudent thing we can do to reduce the risk of deteriorating social stability and security.”

Allen warns that COVID-19 outbreaks in law enforcement organizations are already lowering available police forces in hard-hit areas like New York City, which causes “the risk to social stability [to] increase quickly.”

“[C]ommunities might soon need major assistance with patrolling streets, enforcing restrictions on movement, deterring crime and other tasks,” they write. Using the National Guard soldiers would sidestep restrictions imposed by the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878.

Further, they describe the National Guard as a force that needs to be trained to handle domestic policing:

“True, many of today’s Guard previously deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, where U.S. doctrine emphasized protection of the local population as a core part of the mission. However, there is an enormous difference between sniffing out al-Qaeda fighters on the streets of Ramadi or Baghdad and talking down, or if necessary properly arresting, fellow Americans who have had too much to drink, or thrown a punch, or even pulled a gun. Or who, frustrated with life in the time of the coronavirus, are simply blowing off steam.”

Allen and others recommend that National Guard troops join an “apprentice-like training” alongside domestic law enforcement, so that police officers can teach “standard police operations” and provide “on-the-job [training] and mentoring”. They also recommend that local, state, and federal governments provide funding for this mission, along with “full moral and rhetorical support” in situations where “civic institutions would be teetering.” You can read the WaPo piece here.

After the Watts Riots of 1965, the U.S. Army drafted a domestic security plan for the Defense Department, codenamed Operation GARDEN PLOT. Since then, U.S. Presidents have authorized both regular army and national guard troops to take part in GARDEN PLOT during the 1992 LA Riots, as well as after 9/11. The GARDEN PLOT document notes that:

During domestic civil disturbance operations, federal military forces will confront members of the civil populace participating in group acts of violence antagonistic to authority. These acts can fall anywhere along a broad spectrum of violence that encompasses individual acts of terrorism, riots, and insurrection.

Part of our jobs in using intelligence to support SHTF community security is identifying potential scenarios and describing how they could impact our security. It’s not enough to just be aware that Military Assistance to Civil Disturbances (MACDIS) is an available course of action. We need to run this scenario through the Intelligence Cycle so that we can identify early warning indicators and be able to forecast realistic expectations of the future. We can be best prepared when we can achieve early warning of what to expect. That’s your job as the Neighborhood S2.

Military Assistance to Civil Disturbances is about restoration of order.  Even if we don’t see this during COVID-19, you should be aware of potential activities, which include:

  • Dispersing unlawful assemblies, where we can expect less-lethal weapons like tear gas, rubber bullets, and skirmish lines.  As quickly as possible during an emergency where MACDIS could be authorized, we need to start mapping out which areas are affected by the disturbance and drawing conclusions about the use of force. Beyond that, we need to identify how the presence and escalation of force will affect our community; will homes in the area be placed on lock down, preventing you from bugging out, or could you experience mobs or rioters being pushed from a nearby area into your community?
  • Patrolling disturbed areas is another activity we’d expect during MACDIS, hence the importance of mapping out known locations where there are ongoing disruptions.  We should have generated intelligence requirements by now and we should begin satisfying those requirements: strength, disposition, weapons, equipment, and vehicles (to name a few) in use by the military force. The more we know about what’s out there, both in terms of troops and rioters, the more prepared we can be.
  • Preventing the commission of unlawful acts is standard practice in responses to civil disturbances. Keep in mind that law enforcement and military forces are unlikely to be concerned about protecting commercial or private property. As an intelligence guy, that’s one thing I’m interested in: what are the boundaries of their operations?  What’s their standard operating procedure, or what orders have they been given that define what they can or can’t do?
  • Providing a quick reaction force (QRF) might be necessary where a disturbance has an element of mobility. For instance, if rioters avoid areas where troops are present, a QRF consisting of National Guard troops may be required to have a very quick response to an overwhelming force. When we battle tracked the Ferguson riots, we located where additional tactical teams were staged. Knowing that information could have been very useful if we lived in Ferguson, MO.
  • Distributing essential goods and providing aid to the populace is a common practice we’ve seen, especially overseas. These aid distribution locations are places we need to have on our map, so that we can maintain an accurate security picture. These are places that might incur high traffic and potentially violence, so we may need to avoid these areas if we’re going to bug out.
  • Maintaining essential services can include guarding critical infrastructure or otherwise ensuring that essential services help keep the peace. One of the worst ways to compound a civil disturbance is the disruption of essential services, like water and electricity, thus creating more unrest.
  • Establishing traffic control points (TCPs) and cordons is a frequent practice to control the flow of traffic in an area. We saw numerous TCPs when battle tracking the Ferguson riots, and we were able to map them. Identifying and mapping these TCP locations is a must, and keep in mind that TCPs may not always be static. We employed 10-15 minute snap TCPs in Iraq to moderate effect when trying to screen the populace for contraband and weapons.

Doctrinally, these are the activities we can expect under MACDIS operations. Knowing what to expect is half the intelligence battle, and it’s incumbent on you as the Neighborhood S2 to continue to develop local intelligence for community security.

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15 Comments

  1. anonymous April 8, 2020 at 09:46

    Not sure I agree with the thinking here. I agree more with this quote :

    “There’s a reason you separate military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state. … When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people.”

    I’m old enough to remember when LEOs were called ‘Peace Officers’. They were there to keep the peace and not simply arrest – detain people who were acting stupid for a brief period. I wouldn’t ask a police officer to assume the role of a soldier – the reverse also applies.

    No offense intended for our police officers who are former military officers.

  2. Romeo April 8, 2020 at 10:09

    Potentially ominous environment being set up..I agree that we must be strategically and tactically aware of any .mil moves into our respective AO’s.

    Here in the Charlotte region, we have a few .mil installations, and several airports, with Douglas having a joint civil-military facility,

    The airport is home to Charlotte Air National Guard Base (Charlotte ANGB) and its host unit, the 145th Airlift Wing (145 AW) of the North Carolina Air National Guard, located in a military cantonment area on the east side of the airport.

    So, I’ll be monitoring this as its the most likely and secure location for a staging area in my opinion, with ingress and egress to all major highways in and out of any hot spots, and the ability to be resupplied quite easily if need be.

    That said, having NG troops, pfc Joes and such, performing LE roles scares the hell out me.

    Can you say Kent State…

    “Twenty-eight National Guard soldiers fired approximately 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others, one of whom suffered permanent paralysis.”

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings

  3. Mas Casa April 8, 2020 at 10:29

    Trust me when I say the Army and Air National Guard from the senior leadership, through the Adjutants General, to individual units are dialed in to the optics of DOMOPS in general and conducting MACDIS in particular. They’ll do what they can to be a protective and not policing force. The states that regularly call on their Guardsmen for hurricane, fire or earthquake response may have a little easier time with conveying and living up to that protective role as tjet have been in the public eye more. That said, unfortunately, perception is reality and everyone has to work hard at preventing misunderstandings or going down the slippery slope. That’s not good for anyone.

    With regard to Law Enforcement augmentation, some states are looking at Guardsmen aiding their Corrections Departments, freeing up those officers to augment local LE departments.

    Speaking as someone with active and Guard time, I’d generally prefer to have Guard up front on this, then Active Duty.

  4. Les April 8, 2020 at 10:32

    I think I’ll have to pass on the NG or any segment of the military transitioning into a LE role. Its bad enough how militarized LE has become, anyway. Its a bridge too far!

  5. CK April 8, 2020 at 12:24

    If the National Guard is allowed to “sidestep the Constitution” then so are we… The Generals life expectancy will be shortened.. So, has the National Guard been practicing fighting in their N95 masks?

  6. Veritas April 8, 2020 at 13:55

    Sounds like a good thing. The NG lives where they would work, they aren’t some foreign force they are the mechanics at your auto shop and bartenders at the local Applebee’s. Next who wouldn’t want support to the police if they are overwhelmed? How quickly as their homes and business burned would they cry “Why weren’t there plans to back the police up to prevent this?!”

  7. Romeo April 8, 2020 at 15:44

    @CK ” has the National Guard been practicing fighting in their N95 masks?”

    Umm, no, they and every soldier has hours, days or weeks in some cases, living, pissing, crapping, sleeping, working, fighting while wearing MOPP gear, all the way up to Level 4, which sucks balls big time, so putting on an N95 and “fighting,” while wearing it is a cakewalk…

    Ask me how I, Culper and NC Scout, and many other readers know this fact…

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOPP_(protective_gear)

  8. Cavguy April 8, 2020 at 17:50

    This IS a guard mission. It’s what the guard is trained to do. Well expected anyway, well actually not trained all that much in it really. To a lesser degree active component too.
    It’s all in the National Security Strategy document that is public information. Go look it up.
    I taught it in ILE/CGSC.

    Cavguy

  9. Greg April 8, 2020 at 19:48

    This is of concern, but here is an unholy alliance we need to pay attention to.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_Security_Alliance_Council

    Caught this on Indeed a couple days ago; Was also posted in Idaho
    Urgently hiring
    This particular job post is no longer active. The job listing may still be published on Counter Measures Direct CMD Foundation Unlimited LLC. You may also want to search Indeed’s current listings for Counter Measures Direct CMD Foundation Unlimited LLC to see if a newer version of this job post exists.
    NEED WYOMING ARMED CERTIFIED GUARDS WITH CCW PERMIT TO GUARD BANK OF AMERICA AND CHASE BANKS VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN WYOMING. DO NOT APPLY IF NOT A CERTIFIED ARMED GUARD!!!!!!
    5 TO 7 DAYS A WEEK, 70 – 90 DAYS OF WORK, 10 HOURS A DAY, $17.00 PER HOUR.
    WORK TO BEGIN MONDAY 6TH APRIL. UNIFORM BLACK SECURITY POLO AND BLACK TACTICAL PANTS.
    Job Type: Contract
    Salary: $14.00 to $17.00 /hour
    Experience:
    • armed security: 1 year (Preferred)
    • military: 1 year (Preferred)
    • law enforcement: 1 year (Preferred)
    • security: 1 year (Preferred)
    Work Remotely:
    • Temporarily due to COVID-19

    Something is about to go down…This is a guess, so bear with it. Methinks there is going to be huge defaults on property throughout the redoubt, thus upheavel.

  10. Bret April 8, 2020 at 22:41

    Those of us down here in Louisiana lived through Katrina. We vividly recall the national guard illegally confiscating citizens guns. It is on video. You don’t have to postulate what the guard may or may not do or how they w behave. We have actual instances of guard taking guns illegally

  11. Gray Man April 8, 2020 at 22:51

    5

  12. vyt1az April 9, 2020 at 17:40

    Bret is dead on. In addition, the WHO talked openly recently about having to send people to homes to quarantine the sick in camps so they can prevent the spread in families…

    I really hope NG members refuse to go door to door confiscating weapons or people if they’re ordered. Somehow I’m doubtful they will this time. There weren’t many people left in NOLA when they did it last time.

    IF they chose to do it, I bet they’d coordinate a shut down of local internet/phone first.

  13. Daniel Eriksen April 10, 2020 at 00:44

    The ‘posse comitatus’ act was in place to prevent this use of the Armed Forces against their own people. This is very dangerous. It could be a first step toward a Fascist or Socialist police state where the US Constitution is more rapidly thrown out. This obviously would not be the ‘United States of America’ as our ancestors knew it. Do we really want to go there?

  14. Ron Bass April 10, 2020 at 22:51

    Article IV section 4 US Constitution
    The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence. . It is in the Constitution that allows the Federal government to use military force where there is domestic violence. Any local population can easily out number local LEO numbers.

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