U.S. ups National Guard forces to quell D.C. unrest, readies active duty troops

military is sharply increasing the number of National Guard forces in Washington, D.C., and, in an extraordinary move, has readied active-duty troops outside the city to potentially respond to protests over the death of an African-American man in police custody, a senior defense official said on Monday.

defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said all of the 1,200 National Guard forces in Washington, D.C., had been mobilized and five states were sending 600 to 800 additional Guard troops who could be on the ground by evening.

A second defense official said some of the Guard troops were armed with lethal weapons.

The hope, the first official said, was that the additional Guard units would make the use of active duty troops unnecessary.