No Result
View All Results
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Results
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
Reserve & National Guard

Here’s what National Guard units across the country will be doing on Election Day

By Gina Harkins and Matthew Cox

Military.com
by Military.com
November 2, 2020
Pvt. Will Reas of the 173rd Brigade Engineer Battalion checks voters into a polling place May 12, 2020, in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Approximately 160 Wisconsin National Guard members mobilized to state active duty as poll workers supporting the 7th Congressional District special election in northern Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin National Guard)

Pvt. Will Reas of the 173rd Brigade Engineer Battalion checks voters into a polling place May 12, 2020, in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Approximately 160 Wisconsin National Guard members mobilized to state active duty as poll workers supporting the 7th Congressional District special election in northern Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin National Guard)

Read the original article on Military.com. Follow Military.com on Twitter.

From New Jersey to Washington state, National Guard members across the country are gearing up for election-related missions — ranging from cybersecurity support to responding to civil unrest — in an already record-breaking year for state activations.

Governors have continued to activate National Guard troops in the final days leading up to the presidential election, which has been transformed by the coronavirus pandemic. Soldiers and airmen are supporting polling stations, leading cybersecurity missions, and even preparing for civil disturbances in the wake of what could prove to be a contentious election in which results might not be known for weeks.

As of Friday, 10 states were actively planning for Guard members to handle election-related missions and 15 were indicating they plan to do so. Those missions include working polling stations and cybersecurity missions.

No uniforms, no weapons

Armed troops won’t be guarding polling places on Tuesday.

Leaders in several states said the hundreds of Guard members activated by their governors will be wearing civilian clothes and won’t be carrying weapons. That’s true in Wisconsin, New Jersey and Nebraska, officials from those states say.

“Our service members are placed on state active duty, and they show up in civilian clothes to the polling stations, so any member of the community that is coming into a polling station isn’t going to be able to recognize that they are in the Guard,” said Brig. Gen. Robyn Blader, assistant adjutant general of the Wisconsin National Guard. “They are going to look like anyone else from the community.”

Several hundred Guard members assisted at polling places during the primaries, Military.com reported this summer. They were under strict orders to stay out of the actual voting process, filling gaps created during the pandemic since older people who tend to volunteer at polls were staying home to prevent contracting COVID-19.

In New Jersey, one of the states where Guard members assisted during the primaries, troops are helping process mail-in ballots. The country has seen a huge uptick in mail-in ballots during the pandemic. About 240 New Jersey National Guard soldiers and airmen are already supporting 18 counties’ board of elections, Lt. Col. Barbara Brown, a Guard spokeswoman there, said.

“This support is an extension of the Guard’s active role in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in New Jersey,” she said. “The [New Jersey National Guard] is fully capable and prepared for this mission.”

Guard members in other states, such as Washington and Delaware, are taking on cybersecurity missions. U.S. intelligence officials warned earlier this month that Iran and Russia obtained voter registration information, and were already attempting to interfere in the election.

The National Guard has 59 cyber support units, Wayne Hall, a National Guard Bureau spokesman, said.

“Each state is different and has the advantage of tailoring its National Guard forces to their specific requirements to support elections, especially the states with cyber units,” he said. “We consider this flexibility one of the National Guard’s primary strengths.”

RELATED: Cyber 9-Line improves US approach to election security

The National Guard for Washington State has been working with state officials since the 2018 midterm elections, performing vulnerability assessments on firewalls and ensuring that software is up to date, Air Force Brig. Gen. Gent Welsh, assistant adjutant general for the Washington Guard, said this week.

“One of the unique things about the Guard is we dip into the talent that we’ve got in the civilian areas so having companies like Microsoft and Amazon … allows us to draw those folks into the Guard that have got cutting edge experience working in a tech company is able to pair that with the military training they have,” Welsh said. “And then when we have issues like we are having with our election system, we’ve got some really, really talented and qualified folks to do that work.”

Bracing for conflict

Guard members say they’re not anticipating trouble at the polls, but if a problem breaks out, they say troops working on election day would respond the same way a civilian would.

“In that case it’s a 911 event to call in local law enforcement to handle any violence or any threats of violence,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, adjutant general for the Nebraska National Guard, said.

If violent protests erupt after the election, Guard officials said it will be up to state leaders to coordinate with law enforcement units for potential National Guard response.

“I think the chief executives of each state are already thinking about these kinds of issues and they would be the focal point for any use of the National Guard for any civil unrest or disturbance following the election,” Bohac said.

After a long and often contentious campaign though, some National Guard members have for months been preparing to respond. In Tennessee, the Guard has a contingency plan to support the state highway patrol, Army Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes, the Tennessee National Guard’s adjutant general, said.

“That has been a pretty established drill we have been executing since May and we do have a number of contingency plans,” he said. “We do talk with them more frequently; we have had a number of planning meetings just so we have a multitude of options that might be available.”

Guard personnel would primarily be tasked with providing protection for state and local facilities to free up the highway patrol to conduct law enforcement activities, Holmes added.

“We know our mission,” he said. “We have had to deploy for civil unrest, so we have a very good working relationship with them.”

In New Jersey, the Guard has a reaction force to assist the state for contingency responses when requested by proper authorities, Brown said.

“Our 8,500-member force remains committed to responding to our state and its citizens during times of need,” she said. “We live, work and raise families in these communities and will stay during this critical time for as long as we are needed.”

For now, though, leaders say they’re focused on ensuring troops aren’t burned out after a busy year for the National Guard.

“Our state leadership worries about our Guardsmen being overworked during our state call ups, but they work with our soldiers and airmen to ensure they are getting the rest they need and they are rotated out so they can take leave,” Joseph Siemandel, director of public affairs for the Washington National Guard, said.

The state activations follow National Guard missions for the pandemic, wildfires, border missions and protests across the country. Missions inside the U.S. peaked for the Guard in June, when more than 86,000 of its soldiers were engaged in domestic missions.

The National Guard provided 8.4 million days of support for domestic operations in fiscal 2020, which ended on Sept. 30.

“Due to all the peaks we’ve had, there’s no way that we would have been close to that in any previous year,” Hall said.

The missions haven’t come without controversy though, particularly after tens of thousands of Guard members were called on to support law enforcement personnel in responding to protests in dozens of states following the May death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody.

As Americans brace for the possibility of more unrest, National Guard leaders say they’ve reinforced law enforcement earlier this year and are prepared to do so again.

— Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

Read comments
Tags: Air Force Maj. Gen. Daryl BohacArmy Maj. Gen. Jeff HolmesCOVID-19CybersecurityElection DayNational GuardNational Guard BureauNebraska National GuardTennessee National GuardWayne Hall
Military.com

Military.com

Military.com is proud to serve those who serve our country. Our website enables the millions of Americans with military affinity to access their benefits, advance their careers, enjoy military discounts, and stay connected for life.

Related Posts

Country music icon enlists, wants to inspire next generation of recruits

by Jessica Manfre
2 weeks ago
0
Staff Sgt. Craig Morgan took the oath of enlistment on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. CREDIT: © Grand Ole Opry, photos by Chris Hollo

Army veteran and country music star Craig Morgan surprised an audience this summer by taking the oath of enlistment during...

Read more

Military provides disaster relief assistance on Maui

by AmeriForce Exclusive
1 month ago
0
disaster relief

The Defense Department continues to support disaster relief efforts related to the devastating wildfire on Maui, Hawaii.

Read more

Army Reserve education benefits collapse halts fall semester enrollments

by Military.com
1 month ago
0
U.S. Army Reserve soldier fires a M240B automatic machine gun during a live fire range qualification on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, July 18, 2023. Photo by Spc. Britton Spencer

The Army Reserve ran out of money to cover tuition for its soldiers & is scrambling to reallocate money ahead of the...

Read more

EXCLUSIVE: Incoming Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps talks value of reserves, future of force

by Kari Williams
2 months ago
0
MARFORRES

Sgt. Maj. Carlos Ruiz never served in the MARFORRES, but jokingly hoped he would be confused for doing just that.

Read more

‘Life-changing’ debt-relief extension act would continue assisting reserve component

by AmeriForce Exclusive
2 months ago
0
Debt relief

Guardsmen and reservists facing bankruptcy will continue to get a reprieve, should an extension to a debt relief act be...

Read more

President Biden activated the Individual Ready Reserve

by WeAreTheMighty
2 months ago
0
(U.S. Marine Corps)

On July 13, 2023, President Joe Biden ordered the Selective Reserve and certain members of the IRR to active duty.

Read more

Ads

Let's get social

The RNG Drill

News delivered directly to your inbox

Let's connect!

ABOUT US

  • OUR STORY
  • OUR TEAM
  • OUR WRITERS

MAGAZINE

  • GET PRINT
  • GET DIGITAL
  • GET THE NEWSLETTER

ADVERTISE

  • GET OUR MEDIA KIT
  • PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT

SUBMISSIONS

  • SUBMIT YOUR STORY

Never miss out on the latest stories.

© 2021 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Privacy Policy | Terms | Site by Swiss Commerce

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

No Result
View All Results
  • NEWS
  • YOUR CAREER
    • UNIT TRAINING
    • DEPLOYMENT
    • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
    • RECRUITING & RETENTION
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • TRANSITION
  • EDUCATION
  • MILITARY LIFE
    • MILITARY SPOUSES
    • MILITARY KIDS
    • PARENTING
  • OFF DUTY
    • ENTERTAINMENT
    • TRAVEL
  • HEALTH
    • FITNESS
    • MEDICINE
    • MENTAL HEALTH
  • SPORTS
  • OPINION
  • HISTORY
  • MONEY
    • PERSONAL FINANCE
    • BENEFITS
  • GET THE MAGAZINE
    • PRINT MAGAZINES
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINES
    • GET THE NEWSLETTER
  • ABOUT US
    • MEET OUR TEAM
    • OUR AUTHORS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
    • SUBMIT YOUR STORY
    • PITCH US
    • CONTACT

© 2022 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Site by SCBW