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Pentagon Evaluates Standing National Guard Quick-Reaction Force

Leaked Pentagon documents describe the two-region, 600-soldier plan as predecisional with significant legal and funding hurdles.

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Overview

  • Leaked documents propose a 600-soldier quick-reaction unit split into 300-person hubs in Alabama and Arizona to deploy within an hour to civil disturbances.
  • The framework relies on Title 32 status to enable governors to retain command while granting troops broader law enforcement powers under federal funding.
  • Documents marked 'predecisional' are dated late July and early August and project fiscal 2027 as the earliest date for traditional Pentagon budget funding.
  • Projections estimate costs could reach hundreds of millions if military aircraft and crews are kept on continuous alert, with commercial airlift cited as a cheaper alternative.
  • Legal scholars and state leaders caution that standing domestic deployments risk eroding Posse Comitatus constraints and provoking state-federal conflicts over National Guard authority.