(NBC) – Just days after 500 Massachusetts National Guard members returned home after helping to provide security for last week’s inauguration, the state announced it is sending 700 Guardsmen to Washington, D.C., to support the U.S. Secret Service.
Gov. Charlie Baker signed an executive order Monday approving up to 700 Massachusetts Air and Army National Guard personnel for the mission, which was requested by the Department of Defense, National Guard Bureau, and the Secret Service.
The soldiers will be traveling to Washington over the coming days and are expected to return to the state on Feb. 23. No further details on the reason for their deployment were released,
but the state said it is separate from the personnel who served in support of the inauguration. Baker’s office said the activation will not interfere with the National Guard’s ability to respond to and assist with emergencies here in Massachusetts. READ MORE