Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking to calm fears in his state about Jade Helm 15, a joint military exercise taking place in multiple states this summer.
Fear has arisen among many residents that the realistic training is actually cover for an imposition of martial law or an attempt to take away gun rights.
Abbott originally vowed to have
Texas National Guardsmen monitor the federal troops' activities.
That drew fire from critics, including
National Review's Rich Lowry, who accused him of playing to conspiracy theorists when he attended a public meeting and said he would have Texas authorities monitor the exercises to ensure the rights of Texans were not endangered.
But
MyHighPlains.com now reports that Abbott says he has talked to members of the military who assure him no such worries are justified.
"It's so important to understand that there probably is no state in America that is more deeply connected to the military or honors the military more," Abbott said. "And my office has been in communication with military at multiple levels, and we have the greatest assurances that these are normal military operations and they're going to work out just fine."
The exercises are slated to begin on July 15 and last eight weeks. It will take place in cities and towns in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado.
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