The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a plan to create an Internal Rapid Response Force to be used for quelling protests and other large-scale unrest in the country, reports Baltimore Chronicle citing The Washington Post. According to internal Pentagon documents obtained by the newspaper, the proposal is based on provisions of the U.S. Code that allow the commander-in-chief to bypass restrictions on the use of armed forces within the United States.
Under the plan, the new unit would comprise hundreds of National Guard troops capable of rapid deployment to cities experiencing demonstrations or civil disturbances. The concept calls for 600 personnel to be on constant standby, ready to deploy within one hour. They would be divided into two groups of 300 and stationed at bases in Alabama and Arizona, covering the eastern and western regions of the country, respectively.
The documents note that maintaining such a unit could cost hundreds of millions of dollars if military aircraft and crews are kept on 24/7 alert. Using commercial airlines for troop transport could reduce expenses. The earliest this force could be established and funded under the Pentagon’s traditional budget process would be the 2027 fiscal year. It remains unclear whether the initiative could be implemented earlier through alternative funding sources, or whether the proposal has yet been presented to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Most National Guard commands already maintain rapid reaction groups for deployment within their own states, but the Trump administration’s proposal would allow for redeployment of forces from one state to another.
Earlier we wrote Trump and Zelensky: a dispute over territorial exchange and the peace process.