Military stands down troops ordered to prep to deploy to Minneapolis

[riversedge]

Source: abc



More than 1,500 federal troops in Alaska had been placed on alert.
Steven Beynon February 3, 2026, 8:53 AM

The Pentagon’s Northern Command over the weekend stood down more than 1,500 federal troops placed on alert for potential deployment to Minneapolis, according to two U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the situation.

ABC News first reported that roughly 1,500 active duty soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska had been ordered to prepare for a possible mission to the Twin Cities in Minnesota.

Additional units across the country, including some 200 Texas National Guard troops, also had been directed to make preparations.

No specific mission was ever outlined, and placing units on alert is a relatively routine step when commanders anticipate a potential presidential order, according to officials familiar with the planning. The New York Times was the first to report that units were being taken off high alert...........


Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/military-stands-troops-ordered-prep-deploy-minneapolis/story?id=129797524

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Military stands down troops ordered to prep to deploy to Minneapolis

More than 1,500 federal troops in Alaska had been placed on alert.

abcnews.go.com/Politics/mil...

— (@oceancalm.bsky.social) 2026-02-03T22:44:05.770Z

1,500 troops on standby for Minnesota deployment, 2 defense officials say Some 1,500 active duty Army paratroopers have been put on alert for a potential deployment to Minnesota, according to two defense officials.
Octavio Jones/AFP via Getty Images

[Irish_Dem]

1. The sky will be filled with US Army paratroopers parachuting into the city.

It will be a terrifying sight to see.
Hundreds of parachutes landing armed US troops on US soil.

[Aviation Pro]

2. No.

There is only one airborne division that can do that and their OPTEMPO at the moment can’t handle a mission like that.

[Irish_Dem]

8. They will do what Trump tells them to do or lose their rank and pension.

The old rules do not apply.

Trump loves making terrifying statements.
This would be right up his ally.

I once saw the sky filled with US paratrooper parachutes.
Armed men landing on an open field.

It was a scary sight.

[flashman13]

13. Paratroop or Marine formations can not be deployed in American cities. They are assault troops. Not cops.

It's an appalling idea.

[Irish_Dem]

14. You are behind the times my friend. US troops can and will be called out to US cities.

If Trump wants it.

He has replaced many of the generals.
And told the remaining generals they will lose their rank and retirement if they cross him.
And are doing it with Mark Kelly.

Yes it was always the case that US troops would never attack Americans on US soil.
And they used to believe they worked for the American people, but now they work for Trump.

I am glad my career military father is not alive to see this situation.
The cussing would be epic.

That is OK. I am cussing for him now.

[groundloop]

3. It's absolutely disgusting their deployment to MN was even being considered

[Lovie777]

4. The imagine in itself will put majority of Americans ................

in freedom mode because in reality that order by the "crazy" President of the USA is not warranted.

[IronLionZion]

5. To Greenland instead?

An Alaska based division is prepared for cold weather operations.

[C_U_L8R]

6. This whole thing has been a fiasco for republicans.

Guess they do read polls after all.

[Americanme]

7. My step-son is Army Airborne, stationed at Elmendorf-Richardson.

This stand down order is good news for me.

[erronis]

9. Is trump pulling defenses out of Alaska to cede it back to the russians?

I know that's ridiculous. Even the stablest barnyard idiot/genius wouldn't do that....

[Warpy]

10. OK, that's a BIG crack in the dam

much bigger than GOPs simply staying home on election day and judgesissuing a bunch of peperwork without anything backing it up. The military command refusing to violate Posse Comitatus is a really big deal, not even for Fat Jebus.

When dams finally burst, they go all at once, so let's hope cracks keep on forming.

[FakeNoose]

11. So they're refusing to go to Minnesota?

I don't know that we can assume they've refused the orders.

It's probably that someone finally convinced Chump that this would be absolutely a crazy thing to do politically. You know how he backs down on everything. I think that's what this is.

If there really is a refusal of orders, it happened at the level of the Generals and top military advisors. That's my guess.

[Warpy]

12. I read it as the Pentagon refusing to send them

Rank and file do what they're told by their commanders, it's how militaries are run. This would seem to be coming from the top down, reufiing to obey illegal orders from the administration. That's what's finally different.

Or maybe I'm just having an especially blind night.

[Bayard]

15. I hope that is the case

[Martin68]

16. Sounds like the threat of martial law and invocation of the Insurrection Act is being reduced. If military troops were

deploy, and violence occurred, Trump might have an excuse to take over.

[Lulu KC]

17. When this feels like good news....

It's just like how 30 degrees feels balmy lately.