National Guard

Some Guard members have been sworn in as special police and authorized to be armed with M4 carbines.

The announcement comes as the Guard presence in D.C. has swelled to 25,000 members, contributed by all 50 states.

The spike in cases comes as the Pentagon has increased the Guard authorization for inauguration security in D.C. to 25,000.

The DoD announced that it has increased the number of National Guard troops authorized for inauguration security to 25,000.

The document first began circulating in March as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in America.

The troops are pulling 12-hour security shifts, officials have said, and are permitted to rest or sleep when not on duty.

Hundreds of National Guard troops on emergency mobilization orders began arriving Thursday to reinforce security in the city.

Many viewed the images of sleeping troops and mistakenly thought that the Guard members were housed inside the Capitol.

Photos of troops sprawled under busts of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln raced across Twitter and other social media.

The National Guard Bureau declined to specify what weapons troops would carry.