In a sweeping move ordered by Governor Greg Abbott (R), more than 5,000 Texas National Guard troops are being deployed across the state in anticipation of large-scale “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump this weekend.
However, newly obtained internal documents suggest the Texas Military Department is facing significant logistical and personnel challenges as it races to meet the governor’s directive, Austin American-Statesman reported Friday.
Roughly 2,500 soldiers previously stationed at the southern border under Operation Lone Star have been reassigned to support the new security effort, the report claims.
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The American-Statesman reviewed documents including one signed by the state’s top-ranking military official that highlight concerns over compressed timelines for training troops in crowd management and de-escalation tactics.
The documents also suggest the Texas Military Department is under significant strain, casting doubt on its ability to efficiently allocate personnel across the state amid heightened security measures.
Two National Guard soldiers told the American-Statesman they hadserious reservations about the size and urgency of the mission — describing it as far larger and more complex than Abbott’s 2020 deployment of 1,000 troops in response to demonstrations following the killing of George Floyd.
The service members, who were not named in the report, voiced unease about the department’s preparedness for such a large-scale operation.
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“I was shocked that they were mobilizing the amount of people that they were mobilizing,” one of the guardsmen said, per the report.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me why we would be activated in such large numbers against the citizens we’re sworn to protect.”
Another guardsman questioned the political motivations of their deployment, saying it “does strike me as a suppression of free speech ahead of time.”
“Did I swear an oath to the president? Did I swear an oath to the governor?” They said. “Or did I swear an oath to our basic, inalienable rights?”
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