The Department of Defense posted a detailed planning & execution timeline¹ for the National Guard’s involvement in the deadly siege of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
What struck me most was apparently slow response of the law enforcing agencies (SECARMY and DCNG) to direct call for help. Here's excerpt which took my attention:
- 1334: SECARMY phone call with Mayor Bowser in which Mayor Bowser communicates request for unspecified number of additional forces
- 1500: SECARMY directs DCNG to prepare available Guardsmen to move from the armory to the Capitol complex, while seeking formal approval from A/SD for deployment. […]
- 1702: Departure of 154 DCNG from D.C. Armory in support of USCP. Arrive at Capitol at 1740, swear in with USCP, and begin support operations.
After the Capitol Police failed to sustain the Capitol defense, Mayor Bowser requested Secretary of Army (SECARMY) for armed support.
Which took him merely 1 ½ hours to direct the National Guard (DCNG) to the place.
Who arrived there more than 2 ½ hours later and full 4 hours after the initial request.
Question: was the armed response timely?
By "timely" I understand whether the response time matches the requirements specified in security protocols, and by "security protocols" I understand documents available to public (contrary to any secret ones that surely exist).
From this question and its answer I learned that the Capitol Police (and Muriel Bowser herself) had only prepared for peaceful protesting and did not anticipate the violence that occurred. However, once the events took a tragic turn, could they react faster to avoid further casualties?
I'm sure the rest of the operation was timely enough. For example, VP Pence and the Congress have been evacuated almost instantly (1326), even before the call for help.
¹) Complete report, relevant pages below (full size on click):