INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — About 250 Indiana National Guard soldiers are expected to remain in Washington for about two more months after being sent there to help with security for President Joe Biden’s inauguration, officials said Tuesday.
Gov. Eric Holcomb authorized Indiana soldiers going to Washington on Jan. 13 as more than 25,000 troops from across the country were dispatched there following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
More than 400 of the Indiana soldiers arrived back Monday night at the Guard’s Camp Atterbury after assisting with crowd and traffic control at the National Mall and near the White House, the Indiana Guard said. The soldiers remaining in Washington are scheduled to stay there until the end of March.
The Indiana soldiers were dispatched as Holcomb ordered the Statehouse complex closed to the public for several days and legislative leaders canceled a week of meetings over police concerns about possible armed protests. No protests occurred surrounding Biden’s inauguration in Indianapolis.