The United States Department of Defense has escalated its military preparations concerning ongoing civil unrest in Minnesota, with reports indicating that hundreds more active-duty soldiers have received orders to be ready for potential deployment to the state.
Military Police Brigade Placed on High Alert
According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to MS NOW, the Pentagon has directed members of an Army military police brigade stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina to be on standby. This development follows earlier reports that approximately 1,500 active-duty soldiers were already preparing for possible deployment to Minneapolis and other Minnesota cities.
The outlet reported that at least several hundred soldiers received the prepare-to-deploy order on Tuesday, though Pentagon officials have remained cautious in their public statements. A spokesperson told MS NOW, "We have nothing to announce at this time, and any tip about this is pre-decisional."
Cold-Weather Specialists Among Those Prepared
Service members assigned to two infantry battalions with the Army's 11th Airborne Division, which is based in Alaska and specifically trained for cold-weather operations, are among those being prepared for potential deployment according to defense officials cited by The Washington Post. ABC News first reported this military movement on Saturday.
Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell provided a statement to The Independent regarding the military preparations, saying, "The Department of War is always prepared to execute the orders of the Commander-in-Chief if called upon." Pentagon officials have characterized the placement of troops on alert as simply "prudent planning" given the current circumstances.
Political Context and Presidential Authority
The military preparations occur against a backdrop of escalating tensions and growing concern that former President Donald Trump may invoke the rarely used Insurrection Act to address anti-immigration enforcement protests that have continued following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good earlier this month.
Trump has repeatedly suggested he could deploy active-duty military personnel against American citizens after demonstrations intensified following Good's death. The former president has stated he "felt horribly" about the fatal shooting but has labeled protesters as "professional agitators and insurrectionists" operating in a state governed by what he calls "corrupt politicians."
Historical Precedent and Legal Authority
The Insurrection Act, a 19th-century law that has been invoked only rarely throughout American history, grants the president authority to dispatch active-duty troops and federalize National Guard service members to occupy states and cities. The legislation was last invoked by former President George H.W. Bush in 1992 to suppress the Los Angeles riots that followed the acquittal of four police officers involved in the beating of Rodney King.
Last year, Trump began ordering National Guard troops to several Democratic-led cities, a move that one federal judge criticized as creating "a national police force with the president as its chief." The Department of Justice is currently investigating what critics have described as spurious obstruction allegations related to the ongoing protests.
The situation continues to develop as military preparations advance and political tensions remain elevated in Minnesota, with the potential for significant constitutional questions regarding the use of federal military forces within American states.
