KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The 278th Armored Cavalry of the Tennessee Army National Guard, which is headquartered in Knoxville, has been mobilized to Washington D.C. officials announced on Tuesday.
"Through the night these soldiers have been alerted. They've been rallied. We received the official call about one hour ago for their release and their mobilization," U.S. Army Major General Jeff H. Holmes said in a press conference on Tuesday. "Again, under the authorization of the governor we have entered the mobilization phase."
Around 4 p.m. on Monday, Holmes said he received a call from the National Guard headquarters, asking if they had any available forces to be sent to the nation's capital.
Holmes said he could not speak to 'operational aspects," but that officials expected the troops to be on the ground no later than Saturday.
On Wednesday, Colonel John "Brad" Bowlin, commander of the regiment, said upward of 1,000 soldiers are ready to head to the nation's capital. He said the soldiers could deploy as early as Wednesday afternoon.
"These are your neighbors. They're coming out of your communities, they're coming out of your small businesses. They're doing a mission that we've been asked to do. We are neutral in terms of the politics involved in this whole situation," he said.
The mobilization comes after a string of protests against police brutality and racism, both in the nation's capital and different cities across the United States
General Holmes said he could not offer further details on the regiment's mobilization, and also thanked Tennessee's peaceful protesters.