Missouri National Guard Reportedly Called Ferguson Protestors ‘Enemy Forces’
According to new reports, members of the Missouri National Guard deployed to Ferguson following the shooting of Michael Brown last year referred to rioters as “enemy forces” and “adversaries.”
The revelations come from documents containing internal mission briefings, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
An alderman from St. Louis, Antonio French, expressed outrage over the comment, saying, “It’s disturbing when you have what amounts to American soldiers viewing American citizens somehow as the enemy.”
Col. David Boyle, Army chief of staff at the Missouri National Guard, wrote in an email in November, to his officers, “We are deliberately constraining mobilization timelines to the last couple days to minimize backlash from calling up the NG early. We have coordinated for lower profile, less confrontation likely mission sets to emphasize support roles and minimize public militarization perception.”
Even though the language contained in the documents was inappropriate to some people, others defended it as “standard procedure.”
National Guard Capt. John Quinn said the mission briefings were “a generic military planning format utilized in a wide range of military missions, so the term ‘enemy forces’ would be better understood as ‘potential threats.’ Often in Guard operations, threats would include inclement weather, heat, failing levees, etc.”
Furthermore, the documents revealed that “militant tactics” may be employed by protestors, noting, “Protesters have historically used Molotov cocktails, rocks, and other debris to throw at police. Several small arms fire incidents have occurred. Some elements may utilize militants [sic] tactics taught by USPER RgB Black Rebels.”
It added that “rioters likely have constructed home-made protection like goggles, gas masks, and plywood shields. Further, select individuals may have bullet proof vests and may carry firearms.”
The document further described Ferguson protesters, adding, “Adversaries are most likely to possess human intelligence (HUMINT), open source intelligence (OSINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT), technical intelligence (TECHINT), and counterintelligence capabilities.”
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