CNN: Esper orders remainder of active duty troops in Washington region back to home base

[scarletwoman]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/05/politics/esper-washington-troops-back-to-base/index.html

By Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent
Updated 4:17 PM ET, Fri June 5, 2020

(CNN)Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has ordered that active duty troops who were moved to the Washington DC area should return to their home base of Fort Drum in New York, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said Friday.

On Thursday, Esper ordered about 700 of the 1,600 active duty troops who were brought to the Washington region on Monday back to Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Friday's order to the New York-based troops removes almost all the active duty presence brought in to bolster law enforcement. The troops had been positioned around Washington on "heightened alert status" to allow for their quick deployment amid nationwide protests.

McCarthy also announced that the crew of a helicopter seen flying low over protesters in Washington on Monday night has been grounded pending an investigation into whether those flights were conducted appropriately.

McCarthy said that a small active duty component of the "Old Guard" based in Arlington, Virginia, will remain on stand-by for assistance, but that he hopes they will be taken off alert status this weekend. That will be contingent on protests in the capital continuing to be peaceful, McCarthy added.

(more at link)

I'm posting this specifically to counteract the Twitter misinformation that's been posted on a different thread.

[jls4561]

1. What about Barf's goon squad? Are they still in town?

[scarletwoman]

2. Don't know - haven't seen anything about them today. (nt)