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The Hawaii National Guard said it is sending about 80 of its citizen soldiers to Washington D.C. to support U.S. Capitol Police until early May.
The request came from the National Guard Bureau, according to a release.
“Their mission includes patrolling specific areas and providing flexible security functions with the National Guard’s ‘Task Force Capitol,’ ” the Guard said.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin approved a request by the U.S. Capitol Police for continued National Guard support through May 23 at a force level of 2,280 troops, the release said.
In January, the Hawaii National Guard sent about 200 personnel to Washington for about two weeks in support of the presidential inauguration.
Roughly 800 Guardsmen remain activated in Hawaii for COVID-19 support. The new Washington deployment will not impact the local coronavirus effort, the Guard said.
Nearly 4,000 members of the Guard will remain in the islands and could be called upon to assist with any other local disasters.
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