<\/p>\n
Covert Geopolitics<\/p>\n
The Army general who heads the D.C. National Guard and has an integral part in overseeing the inauguration said Friday that he will be removed from command effective at 12:01 p.m. Jan. 20, just as Donald Trump is sworn in as president.<\/p>\n
Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz\u2019s departure will come in the middle of the presidential ceremony \u2014 classified as a national special security event \u2014 and while thousands of his troops are deployed to help protect the nation\u2019s capital during an inauguration he has spent months helping to plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe timing is extremely unusual,\u201d Schwartz said in an interview Friday morning, confirming a memo announcing his ouster that was obtained by The Washington Post. During the inauguration, Schwartz will command not only members of the D.C. Guard but also 5,000 unarmed troops dispatched from across the country to help. He also will oversee military air support protecting Washington during the inauguration.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy troops will be on the street,\u201d said Schwartz, who turned 65 in October. \u201cI\u2019ll see them off, but I won\u2019t be able to welcome them back to the armory.\u201d He said he would \u201cnever plan to leave a mission in the middle of a battle.\u201d<\/p>\n