The Vermont National Guard is preparing for a deployment, but the details are sparse.
The Vermont weekly newspaper Seven Days first reported that a mobilization of the Army and Air National Guard will occur soon. But no details on where and when have been disclosed. The federal orders come at a time of increased animosity between President Donald Trump and Venezuela. During his weekly briefing Wednesday, Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, said he had few details on the deployment.
“There isn’t much I can share because I don’t know a lot about any of the mission. This is going to fall under Title 10. It does not need the authorization of the governor. It’s going to be under federal control so everything, from my understanding, is coming out of either the National Guard or the Pentagon at this point.”
On Thursday, The War Zone, a national defense news website, reported that the Vermont Guard will be sent to Puerto Rico to participate in Operation Southern Spear, a U.S. Department of Defense campaign against drug trafficking in the Southern Hemisphere.