Pentagon orders states’ national guards to form ‘quick reaction forces’ for ‘crowd control’

The U.S. military has issued an order to the National Guard in all 50 states and four territories to form rapid-response units that can be sent out on demand to contain civil unrest, armed with batons, body shields, Tasers, and pepper spray.

An internal memo dated October 8 and signed by Major General Ronald Burkett, Director of Operations for the Pentagon’s National Guard Bureau, orders the training of around 500 troops per state, for a total of 23,500.

The memo states that Pete Hegseth’s Department of War will deploy military trainers to every state and territory to get the program “operational” by January 1, 2026.