Ten more National Guardsmen have been added to the ever-growing roster of state active-duty personnel in Arkansas, the governor announced Friday.
The latest order by Gov. Asa Hutchinson will increase the total number of active soldiers and airmen assigned during the covid-19 crisis to 63, according to the Arkansas National Guard.
As more covid-19 infections are being reported and more Guard troops are being called to provide assistance in the civilian sector, state and federal officials have had to quell rumors of a martial-law-like scenario in the not-so-distant future.
In spite of the spike in numbers of those infected and those called to active duty, Hutchinson was dismissive of any such talk Friday when he addressed the subject with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
"The rumor of pending martial law being imposed is bogus," he said in a statement.
Martial law is the imposition of military rule on civilians. It's rarely invoked, typically only during times of great civil unrest or after disasters.
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Hutchinson's announcement of the 10 additional guardsmen came hours before President Trump issued an executive order allowing for the Pentagon to reinstate former U.S. troops, reservists and guardsmen to active duty to assist the military's response to the covid-19 outbreak. Trump told the media Friday that many retired veterans have offered their support.
No announcement has been made on how many will be activated or whether anyone will be involuntarily activated.
Many areas of the country, compared to Arkansas, are seeing a far more dramatic military presence.
Guard troops in other states, such as New York and Kentucky, have set up stations outside hospitals. The Louisville Courier-Journal reported this week that Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has admitted that the decision for a greater police and military presence at hospitals was made for the sake of providing additional security measures and to make sure everything remains "orderly."
Thus far, most of the active-duty soldiers and airmen in Arkansas are serving an administrative role.
During a news conference Friday afternoon, Hutchinson told reporters that the state was preparing itself for a "worst-case scenario," but he wasn't specific. After mentioning that, Hutchinson said he was calling 10 more guardsmen to state active duty. Their role would be to assist the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as it expanded hospital beds in Arkansas.
Hutchinson said that decision was made to remain "ahead of the curve" so that "we don't have to make difficult choices down the road."
He elaborated further in a statement to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
"As governor, I have always used the Arkansas National Guard to support civilian authorities, such as during a natural disaster," Hutchinson said. "In the current covid-19 health emergency, the National Guard is being used in a similar fashion.
"As time goes on, there will be additional missions and call-ups, but the specifics depend upon the need and expertise of the guardsmen."
President Trump has placed three states -- New York, California and Washington -- under Title 32 status. That means the federal government will pay for the roll-out of National Guard troops, but the individual states would still have absolute control over what they do. They remain the only states under that status.
The Military Times has reported that more than 11,400 National Guard troops have been mobilized across all 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In Arkansas, National Guard troops have been providing assistance to the state's Health Department call center while others have been providing support to the medical screening staff at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, according to the National Guard.
Bob Oldham, a National Guard spokesman, said another nine guardsmen have been providing "joint operations center support" or "back-end support" to the active-duty personnel from Camp Robinson, but they have not been assigned to active duty themselves. That means a total of 72 soldiers and airmen from the Arkansas National Guard are providing some level of assistance during the covid-19 crisis.
As for what future jobs National Guard troops may be called to do, it will all depend on what is called for, said Lt. Col. Brian L. Mason, a National Guard spokesman.
"We have trained and skilled experts in many areas," Mason said. "The needs drive the demand for guardsmen. Ultimately, it's up to the governor if and when more [of them] are mobilized."
Some of the soldiers and airmen who have been called to state active duty are medical professionals. It is possible more doctors and nurses will be called, but there is a reluctance to call them up because doing so would mean pulling them away from areas where they are already needed, according to the Arkansas Guard.
"Many medics in the reserve component may also work at hospitals and clinics," Mason said. "If they're already doing good things in their hometown setting, putting them on order to go somewhere else might exacerbate a situation in that hometown setting. We would be cautious to upset that balance."
Metro on 03/30/2020