Pentagon Ordered National Guard Helicopters' Aggressive Response in D.C.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

WASHINGTON — Top Pentagon officials ordered National Guard helicopters to use what they called “persistent presence” to disperse protests in the capital this week, according to military officials. The loosely worded order prompted a series of low-altitude maneuvers that human rights organizations quickly criticized as a show of force usually reserved for combat zones.

Ryan D. McCarthy, the Army secretary and one of the officials who authorized part of the planning for the helicopters’ mission Monday night, said on Friday that the Army had opened an investigation into the episode.

Two Army National Guard helicopters flew low over the protesters, with the downward blast from their rotor blades sending protesters scurrying for cover and ripping signs from the sides of buildings. The pilots of one of the helicopters have been grounded pending the outcome of the inquiry.

The high-profile episode, after days of protests in Washington — some of which turned violent — was a turning point in the military’s response to unrest in the city. After days of operating on the periphery of the crowds, National Guard forces suddenly became a focus of the controversy over the military’s role in urban law enforcement.

Military officials said that the National Guard’s aggressive approach to crowd control was prompted by a pointed threat from the Pentagon: If the Guard was unable to handle the situation, then active-duty military units, such as a rapid-reaction unit of the 82nd Airborne Division, would be sent into the city.

Senior Pentagon officials, including Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were trying to persuade President Trump that active-duty troops should not be sent into the streets to impose order, and that law enforcement and National Guard personnel could contain the level of unrest.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/pentagon-ordered-national-guard-helicopters-aggressive-response-in-dc/ar-BB157QY5?li=BBnb7Kz

[NoMoreRepugs]

1. Active troops deployed on US streets is madness.

If it happens things will spiral out of control in a hurry IMO.

[yellowcanine]

2. So combat tactics were used against peaceful protestors.

Everyone involved with this travesty needs to resign or be fired, including the JAG lawyers who apparently signed off on it.

[uponit7771]

3. FUCKIN WOW !!! So they orders went through normal chain of command

[Liberal In Texas]

4. Civilian pilots would lose their licenses doing this.

Flying like that leaves no room for dealing with an emergency. In an engine failure the pilot couldn't auto-rotate or find an empty space to land and would probably crash into the crowd.

[Nevilledog]

5. So the whole fiasco was to prove that the National Guard is full of assholes?

Yes, sir, we're willing to violate the constitutional rights of citizens. We don't need no stinking active duty military!