Austin approves request to extend National Guard deployment at US Capitol

WASHINGTON — An extension of the National Guard deployment at the U.S. Capitol has been approved through May 23.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved the request late Tuesday for nearly 2,300 Guard troops continue to provide security in Washington, D.C., at the request of the Capitol Police, amid worries about continued threats. Officials have been scrambling in recent days to determine if and how to fill the request for more than 2,000 Guard forces, as the original March 12 deadline for them to leave Washington looms.

The 2,300 figure is nearly a 50 percent reduction of the current support force, according to a Pentagon press release. DoD officials will work with U.S. Capitol Police to incrementally reduce the Guard footprint as conditions allows, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in the release.

The decision underscores concerns about the ongoing threat of violence at the Capitol, two months after rioters breached the building in violence that left five people dead. Law enforcement have remained in a heightened security posture in response to intelligence suggesting possible threats to the Capitol by militia groups.