More than 25,000 National Guard troops called to provide inauguration security remained on duty Thursday in Washington — and will stay until federal agencies release them, the Washington Examiner reported.
"We are here at the request of federal agencies and will stay as long as we are needed to meet their requirements,'' D.C. National Guard spokesman Capt. Tinashe Machona told the news outlet.
''If we have excess capability and capacity, we want to get those National Guard soldiers and airmen back home to their families and employers as soon as we can,'' he added.
In a statement, the National Guard bureau chief Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson told the news outlet members ''will return home as soon as conditions permit.''
Initially, 340 unarmed Guard members were called to provide security for the District of Columbia ahead of the Electoral College vote count by Congress.
But after the deadly breach of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 10,000 Guard members poured into the city — and the U.S. Capitol Police, Park Police, and Secret Service requested more than 25,000 Guard members to provide inauguration security.
On Tuesday, Hokanson said at least 6,200 would remain for up to 30 days, the Washington Examiner noted.
''With respect to the 25,000 that we currently have: that's to meet all of the requirements that have been requested by the lead federal agency, in this case, the United States Secret Service,'' he said at the time. ''When we look at post-inauguration, it'll depend on the conditions, of course, the missions that we're provided.''