The Army says Defense Secretary Mark Esper has overturned an earlier decision to send a couple hundred active-duty soldiers home from the Washington, D.C., region.
The decision Wednesday comes amid growing tensions between the White House and the Pentagon over the military response to the protests.
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy tells The Associated Press that the decision came after Esper attended a meeting at the White House, and after other internal Pentagon discussions.
He says he believes the change was based on ensuring there is enough military support in the region to respond to any protest problems if needed.
Earlier, Esper said that he opposes use of Insurrection Act, which would allow President Donald Trump to use active-duty forces for law enforcement duties.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon Wednesday, Esper said active-duty troops in a law enforcement role should be used in the United States “only in the most urgent and dire of situations,” adding, “We are not in one of those situations now.”
“The option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort, and only in the most urgent and dire of situations. We are not in one of those situations now. I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act,” Esper said.
He spoke as Trump took credit for a massive deployment of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officers to the nation’s capital, saying it offered a model to states on how to quell protests nationwide.
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