SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
MONTGOMERY, AL — Alabama could become home to one of two proposed Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force (QRF) bases, according to The Washington Post, which obtained Pentagon documents outlining the plan. Each base would host 300 National Guard troops on constant standby to respond to riots, violence, or civil unrest anywhere in the United States. The other base would be in Arizona.
The Plan
The proposal calls for rotating Army and Air Force National Guard units from multiple states — including Alabama, Arizona, California, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, and others — into the QRF. Documents labeled “predecisional” and dated from late July and early August detail the framework, though the Pentagon has declined to comment.
If approved and funded through the traditional budget process, the QRF could launch by 2027 at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. However, President Trump could attempt to fast-track its creation.
The QRF would:
• Deploy in waves of 100 troops, cycling out every 90 days to prevent burnout.
• Use military-style weapons and riot gear.
• Operate under Title 32 authority, allowing federally funded Guard units to act aggressively in states experiencing “unrest,” including making arrests — powers normally restricted under Title 10.
Pentagon planners have raised concerns about cost, logistics, reduced Guard availability, and the potential “public and political impact” of such a program.
Political Reactions
Alabama Senators Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville have backed Trump’s increased use of the National Guard, calling it essential to restoring order in Washington, D.C., and other cities.
However, Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers has previously opposed permanent QRF proposals. In 2021, he and Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) argued that Capitol security should remain civilian-led, warning against “militarizing” domestic law enforcement.
“Security of the Capitol complex must remain the responsibility of federal civilian law enforcement… We cannot and should not militarize the security of the Capitol,” Rogers said in a joint statement.
Historical and Legal Context
The plan builds on a smaller 2020 test run when Alabama and Arizona each put 600 Guard members on alert ahead of the presidential election.
Under the Posse Comitatus Act, active-duty troops cannot enforce domestic laws. National Guard units, however, are exempt under state control via Title 32, a legal framework Trump also used during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.
Alabama has a history of militarized domestic intervention, including the 1954 deployment of the Guard to Phenix Cityto enforce martial law and dismantle organized crime — one of the rare non-civil rights uses of such force.
Broader Concerns
Critics warn the QRF could normalize military involvement in policing.
“You don’t want to normalize routine military participation in law enforcement,” said Joseph Nunn of the Brennan Center for Justice.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s spokesman, Carter Elliott, told the Post the plan ignores long-established procedures for requesting aid:
“The Trump administration is blatantly and dangerously ignoring that precedent.”
The report surfaces just one day after Trump moved to seize control of Washington, D.C.’s police force under the D.C. Home Rule Act, ordered 800 National Guard troops into the city, and threatened harsher crackdowns on crime, homelessness, and protests.