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Trump asks to activate National Guard against protests 6:02
(CNN) - United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper ordered Thursday a review of National Guard support for law enforcement across the country amid riots over the death of George Floyd.
The review, which is considered standard procedure after any significant operation, will be led by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and will specifically assess the National Guard's work with federal and local law enforcement forces in recent weeks, according to a Pentagon press release.
The assessment will address a variety of topics, including training, organizing, and deploying National Guard forces.
"In the past few weeks, the National Guard has acted professionally and capably in support of law enforcement in cities across the United States," Esper said in a statement.
"I have the highest respect and I am deeply proud of our soldiers and airmen who served during this period to ensure that peaceful protesters are able to execute their First Amendment rights, and that they and others will not experience violence against themselves and their property."
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"I am fully confident that Army Secretary McCarthy will lead a solid review," he continued. The report's findings are expected to be sent to Esper in late July, the Pentagon said.
The move follows a massive activation of National Guard forces to help quell protests over the death of Floyd, a black man who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. Earlier this month, some 74,000 members of the Guard had been activated in the United States. That number is higher than any other time in recent history, according to the National Guard Office.
Speaking from the White House rose garden earlier this month, President Donald Trump said that "we are ending the unrest and lawlessness that has spread throughout our country," adding that he has strongly recommended to Governors who deploy the National Guard to "dominate the streets."
As a group of service members who have civilian jobs and train part-time, National Guard soldiers are generally deployed to their home states by governors or the federal government, who decide the length of each mission.
They can carry out public order actions when they are under the command of state governors, unlike the military in active service, which the law prohibits unless the president invokes the Law of Insurrection.
But there is some discomfort with the mission of the civil order among some soldiers of the National Guard.
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"I think in the United States we should not get used to or accept that uniformed service members of any kind have to be in a position where they have to protect people within the United States," Major General told reporters last month. of the Army Thomas Carden, deputy general of the Georgia National Guard.
He added that "although we are happy to do it and honored to do it, this is a sign of the times when we need to improve as a country."
CNN's Scottie Andrew contributed to this report.
National Guard