The initial amount called in for the "riots" on the 6th were about 500. They quickly bumped those numbers up to 6,200, then 15,000 and now 20,000. Big deal right?
To put this into perspective, when units deploy overseas, they generally deploy on the battalion or regimental level. You have your individual person, multiple people make up a squad generally around 10-15, multiple squads make a platoon, multiple platoons make a company, multiple companies make up a battalion, multiple battalions make up the regiment or brigade, multiple regiments or brigades make up a division. The battalions generally range from a few hundred to a 1,000 troops and the regiments are 3-5k troops. A division makes up 10-15k troops.
We officially have enough to make up at least 1 very large division or 2 smaller ones currently in, or being sent to, our nations capital.
This is the same amount of troops we had in Afghanistan back in 2004.
20,000 troops in DC is a staggering amount. So the next question is...why? They will not be the ones doing the arrests when they go down. Which means they are there to stop the unrest that comes afterwards....or if the arrests don't come at all. This means they are either there for us, or them...Since President Trump is the one with the sole authority to order them into DC...I like our odds of who they are there to stop from rioting.
A Marine Corps standard battalion is around 1,000 troops all in. So like 20 battalions is akin to an invasion force.
That is a big battalion! I know they range from a few hundred to 1,000. Mine was only around 500 if I remember correctly.
Either way, there are enough for multiple divisions in DC right now hahah.
I’m talking (REIN), deployment ready. Five companies...four combat plus one H&S, along with attachments like FACs, etc. We used to use 1000 strong as an average for a deployed (Westpac/Medfloat) FMF battalion. I think it’s a little different for a flyover deployment like to Japan (Okinawa, Camp Hansen/Camp Schwab). I’m talking almost 30 years ago so thing may have changed.