The troops also include active-duty personnel trained in “extraction and decontamination operations” following attacks with chemical, biological, nuclear, radiological and explosive weapons, the US Department of Defense said Monday.
Others will assist the attending physician of Congress in administering COVID-19 tests, the DOD said, The New York Post reported.
The troops assigned to “contingency support functions” are in addition to 2,000 active-duty military men and women who will be on hand for “ceremonial support,” the DOD said.
Last week, the Pentagon increased the number of National Guard troops authorized to support federal law enforcement in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to 25,000.
As of Monday, about 21,500 members of the National Guard had arrived in Washington, DC, the DOD said.