After this week, hundreds of Nevada National Guard members will be trained to assist law enforcement during civil unrest.
In late August, President Trump signed an executive order requiring all U.S. states and territories to keep their National Guards prepared to assist law enforcement during civil disturbances. In Nevada, the National Guard is conducting de-escalation training this week, as well as increasing the size of the National Guard Response Force, or NGRF.
"Before, we had a reaction force of about 100 soldiers, and then any time we were activated, it was a lot of just-in-time training. What this does is make it more formal," said Colonel Kyle Cerfoglio, Director of Joint Staff, Nevada National Guard.
Now, the NGRF has 300 Army soldiers and 100 Air Force airmen at its disposal.
Cerfoglio said the training itself is similar to what security guards receive.
"In fact, my son's going through the same kind of training at Renown, being a security guard," he said.
First Lieutenant Gwyneth Terry, Officer in Charge of the National Guard Response Force, said it does not change the goal of the NGRF.
"The National Guard Response Force has already been a part of the Nevada Guard mission. So, there's really no change," she said. "We're just providing more resources and a little bit more training to our service members at the direction of the president."
Terry said the training will be an annual certification for soldiers and airmen who call Nevada home.
"We're invested into keeping the peace and protecting our home the same way that we already have been," she said.
While the Nevada National Guard responds to the governor and the president, the NGRF is specifically for calls within the Silver State. Most recently in northern Nevada, the force helped the Washoe County Sheriff's Office with the Davis Fire.
"We had about 100 soldiers, guarding the neighborhoods in the affected areas, making sure that the people got out safely and that no one came in," Cerfoglio said.
As part of Monday's training, NGRF trainees were shown footage from the Renee Good shooting in Minneapolis from a politically neutral point of view. Cerfoglio says it's the National Guard's duty to comply with lawful orders without interference from politics.
"We're in the military. We're here to defend and support the Constitution of the United States. And we don't get involved in politics," he said.
The NGRF will be training all week at the Office of the Adjutant General in Carson City. The Nevada National Guard said it, as well as other state and territorial National Guards, were given a deadline of April 1 to have a "quick reaction force" ready.
