Lt. Gen. Sasseville NPR Interview with Noelle King

19 Jan 2021

1

Noelle: And I am Noelle King; good morning. There are 25,000 National 

Guard troops in Washington D.C to secure Joe Biden’s 

inauguration. By way of comparison, there were 8,000 at President 

Trump’s. Authorities at the Capitol are on high alert, among their 

concerns; a remarkable one. The possibility of an insider attack, a 

threat from service members. The FBI is vetting all of the National 

Guard troops who have come to the city. With me now, Lieutenant 

General Mark Sasseville, who is Vice Chief of the National Guard 

Bureau. Good morning to you, sir. 

Lt. Gen. Sasseville: Good morning, Noelle. Thank you for having me. 

Noelle: We are happy to have you. Why are National Guard troops being 

vetted before the inauguration? 

Lt. Gen. Sasseville: So, let me start by making sure that everybody understands there is

no room for extremism in our ranks. I do not think I have to say 

that, but I will anyway. All the men and women that have joined 

the National Guard have a deep desire to serve and they are proud 

of their service. 

The kind of vetting that is actually happening now is routine for 

inaugurations. I am a D.C. Guardsmen myself. I have been in 

about four when I was still in the unit and every one of these, 

there’s been an extra level of security. So, this is not something 

that is unusual for these types of events. 

And so, we have been asked to partner with the FBI; they are one 

of a handful of our partners here, for this event, obviously. So, we 

are doing an extra level of scrutiny to make sure that we have that 

extra layer of protection. We do not have any signaling or 

indications that there is a problem, but we just want to be on the 

safe side. 

As the 25,000 soldiers and airmen process in, they are getting an 

extra reminder to – if you see something, say something and refer 

that up through the chain of command. 

But routinely, I would like to also mention that we have standing 

procedures, and it is not just for the inauguration. It is a day-to-day

process that we go through with our Adjutants General in the states

to see if there are any concerns. If there are, they are flagged to the 

Adjutants General and he/she will conduct an investigation or an 

inquiry. 
Lt. Gen. Sasseville NPR Interview with Noelle King

19 Jan 2021

2

If the situation warrants, they will refer it to the FBI. 

Noelle: Can you describe how – yes it sounds like what you are saying is; 

you are not seeing at this time, any added risk of an inside attack. 

Vetting is normal, there will be some amount of extra vetting this 

year, given the circumstances. Can you describe how the vetting 

works? What, what actually happens? What are you looking for?

Lt. Gen. Sasseville: Well, so I would have to refer you to the FBI for the specifics. I am

not sure exactly what it is that they do. But they – on our behalf, 

they are going through that and looking at I presume a database, 

but I have to refer to them for exactly what it is that they are they 

are looking for. 

Noelle: Okay. 

Lt. Gen. Sasseville: And – yeah. 

Noelle: I, I was walking in the park near my house, the other day –

yesterday, in fact. And I saw several National Guardsmen, uh, and 

it made me wonder, I mean it is not a familiar sight in Washington 

D.C, not in the neighborhood where I live. Could you describe how 

the National Guard is being equipped to keep this inauguration 

secure? 

Lt. Gen. Sasseville: So, that is a great question. It depends on the mission. Again, we 

are here in support of law enforcement. So, the equipment depends 

on the mission that we have been asked to do and we coordinate

very closely with all of our partners the Metro PD, Capitol Police, 

Park Police, Secret Service.

I have seen the plan. It is a good plan. They have a handful of 

missions that they have asked us to do and depending upon exactly 

what it is and what we are doing, is how we will be equipped. 

So, you will see some folks with what we call civil disturbance 

gear, which is the helmet and the shields, and you saw some of that 

on TV recently. There they will be some soldiers and airmen with 

weapons and then they will be some without weapons. So, it really 

depends on what we are being asked to do. 

Noelle: And what are they prepared for, in general? And how is that 

different this year, given what happened at the Capitol, on January 

6th?
Lt. Gen. Sasseville NPR Interview with Noelle King

19 Jan 2021

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Lt. Gen. Sasseville: So, we are prepared for the worst and expecting the best. We are

closely aligned with the FBI and law enforcement to understand, if 

there is any, where the disturbances might come from and if 

anybody wants to have unlawful protests. 

So, that is really what we are keeping an eye out for. Our missions 

are across the board, security, crowd control, traffic control, and 

several other supporting efforts. But, we are hopeful. We are

hoping for a peaceful transition of political authority on the 20th. 

And hopefully, everything goes well. 

Noelle: In the seconds we have left, may I ask when does everyone goes 

home? 

Lt. Gen. Sasseville: Well, that is a great question. It will be conditions-based. I think 

we have to wait and see. When we are no longer needed and no 

longer requested by the authorities, we will leave here in an

expeditious manner or as directed. 

Noelle: All right, Lieutenant General Mark Sasseville, Vice Chief of the 

National Guard Bureau. Thank you, sir. 

Lt. Gen. Sasseville: Absolutely, thank you. 

[End of Audio]

Duration: 9 minutes