Pentagon ready to send troops to Minneapolis if governor asks

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon says it’s ready to provide military help to authorities scrambling to contain unrest in Minneapolis, where George Floyd’s death has sparked widespread protests, but Governor Tim Walz has not requested federal troops.

Jonathan Rath Hoffman, the chief Pentagon spokesman, says several military units have been placed on higher alert “as a prudent planning measure” in case Walz asks for help. Hoffman doesn’t identify the units, but other officials say they are mainly military police. Hoffman says these are units normally on 48-hour recall to support state authorities in the event of crises like natural disasters. They are now on four-hour alert, Hoffman says.

Defense officials say there is no intent by the Pentagon to deploy any federal forces to Minnesota unless Walz asks for help. If he does make such a request, federal units such as military police could provide logistical and other kinds of support to the Minnesota National Guard or state law enforcement, but would not get directly involved in law enforcement under current plans, the officials say. They aren’t authorized to discuss the planning publicly and speak on condition of anonymity.

Hoffman says Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had spoken to Walz twice in the past 24 hours and told him the Pentagon was prepared to help if needed.

Maj. Gen. Jon Jensen, the adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard, says the Pentagon’s decision to place some military units on a higher state of alert for potential deployment was “a prudent move” that gave Walz more options.

— AP