Members of the Virginia National Guard have received special training as part of a “reaction force” that’s expected to quickly respond to civil unrest or natural disasters in the Commonwealth.
Troops selected for the training are currently ready to respond if called upon by the governor. But up to 500 troops could be trained, if “mission requirements change,” VNG spokesperson Alfred Puryear wrote in an email.
He declined to specify the number of troops currently trained.
The guard’s mission is to offer combat support for the U.S. military when necessary and to respond to orders from the governor to protect the commonwealth.
Recent training included instruction in de-escalation techniques and “the proper use of crowd control personal protective equipment,” the VNG statement said.
Will Pelfrey — a professor specializing in homeland security and emergency preparedness at VCU’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs — said that description lacked important details.
“Those are goals, those are learning objectives,” he said. “Those are not — what you just said does not represent a meaningful training curriculum.”
In September, VNG announced it had mobilized about 40 troops to offer “administrative and logistics support to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.” Pelfrey said that’s not a normal arrangement and creates a scenario inconsistent with the guard’s mission.
“The Posse Comitatus Act says [the] military cannot work as police in the United States,” Pelfrey said. “So, this sounds like a way to circumvent Posse Comitatus, and I find that very concerning from a democracy and civil liberty standpoint.”
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin previously approved VNG troops to be put on “state active duty” ahead of a recent No Kings protest. Beginning in January, when Abigail Spanberger is inaugurated, a Democrat will have that authority.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.