PERSPECTIVE: Capitol security failureTragedy at the Capitol: Four Questions that Demand Answers

Published 8 January 2021

How can the U.S. Capitol, surrounded by one of the largest concentrations of law enforcement and national security personnel in the world, be so quickly overrun by Trump insurrectionists hell-bent on “stopping the steal,” halting our cherished democratic processes, and potentially harming lawmakers? Mark Nevitt writes that “it was always drilled home from my time in the military the importance of unity of command and unity of effort…. But prior to the insurrection, Trump himself incited it, in tweets and in a speech that morning. Shockingly, the person at the very top of the chain of command was not interested in protecting the Capitol nor the lawmakers inside during a time of national crisis.”

How can the U.S. Capitol, surrounded by one of the largest concentrations of law enforcement and national security personnel in the world, be so quickly overrun by Trump insurrectionists hell-bent on “stopping the steal,” halting our cherished democratic processes, and potentially harming lawmakers?

Mark Nevitt writes in Just Security that this tragedy and breach of the Capitol Building on Wednesday is a failure of leadership and planning at the highest levels.

A full and comprehensive investigation will be conducted. And it is important not to jump too quickly to conclusions without having a full understanding of the events and decisions that took place that day and the days leading up to it. Nevertheless, several key questions and themes are beginning to emerge. These must be addressed prior to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20. These questions center around the difficulty in swiftly coordinating a response across overlapping federal, state, and local jurisdictions. Despite being surrounded by the nation’s vast national security and law enforcement apparatus, the U.S. Capitol response appears to have been plagued by and not taking the threat of right-wing extremism seriously. This was further exacerbated by different chains of command, overlapping legal authorities, and complex jurisdictional issue.

In what follows, I highlight four initial questions to focus on:

  • Was the District of Columbia National Guard properly deployed and resourced?
  • What prevented other state National Guards from being expeditiously deployed?
  • What role do other federal law enforcement have and why did the DC police have to play such a critical role in the Capitol’s defense?
  • What other assets may have assisted?

Nevitt concludes:

it was always drilled home from my time in the military the importance of unity of command and unity of effort. These are absolutely essential to succeed in any mission. The protection of our nation’s capital should be no different. This requires a straightforward chain of command, clear understanding of the underlying legal authorities, rapid decision-making processes, and a clear understanding of the mission. Unity of command is particularly difficult to achieve in the nation’s capital, where there are so many overlapping jurisdictions and legal authorities as outlined above. And unity of command requires the person at the top of the chain of command—the president, as commander-in-chief—to provide clear direction and be fully invested in the mission. But prior to the insurrection, Trump himself incited it, in tweets and in a speech that morning. Shockingly, the person at the very top of the chain of command was not interested in protecting the Capitol nor the lawmakers inside during a time of national crisis, a point not lost on lawmakers calling for his immediate impeachment.