A look inside the unprecedented Nat'l Guard deployment securing DC - exclusive

• Author: SETH J. FRANTZMAN
• Published date: 17 January 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Tiffen is one of the thousands of National Guard troops deployed to the US capital in the lead-up to the inauguration, after a mob rioted on January 6 and stormed the Capitol. He says that "for many of us, this wasn't just an attack on our democratic institutions - it was also an attack on our friends, families and neighbors." Tiffen holds a Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law School and a bachelor's degree in international business from Thomas Jefferson University. A veteran of three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and an Infantry officer in the Maryland Army National Guard, he spoke to The Jerusalem Post about his experience.

"Within an hour of first hearing about the attack on the US Capitol, I received a call telling me that Maryland was mobilizing our unit. In some situations, for example, a natural disaster, we often can anticipate a call-up and begin to get ready days in advance. That wasn't the case here, so soldiers suddenly dropped everything and prepared to deploy within a matter of hours. On the morning of the 7th, we began deploying into Washington, DC, and securing the Capitol." The call up was supposed to last a week, but Tiffen says that hours after the mobilization it was clear it would last longer.

That was on January 6. He says that his units were the first to arrive in the city. At the time, most roads were open to the public, and residents were still going about their daily routines. However, there was a major ramp up taking place in the security posture across the district. The city went from feeling "normal" to completely different. "Authorities have installed miles of non-scalable fences. Military and civilian forces have blocked roads and established checkpoints, and thousands of troops and civilian law enforcement have arrived to take up positions across the region," he says.

Tiffen, whose guard units have been active over the past year due to the COVID crisis, says he was not surprised by the deployment itself, but the scale is unique. He is the commander of the Maryland National Guard's 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry. As the National Guard Reaction Force for the State of Maryland, one of their primary missions is to support civil authorities, save lives, maintain order and safeguard property. "As a result, units from within our brigade were the first mobilized to respond when the call came. We were among the first troops to arrive in Washington, DC, and began arriving early on the 7th." Some 20,000 of...