The US Department of War has ordered some 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, US defence officials told The Washington Post on Saturday, January 18, 2026.
The soldiers are from two infantry battalions with the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, based in Alaska and specializes in cold-weather operations.
The president has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act.
The Insurrection Act, a federal law dating to 1807, permits the president to take control of a state’s National Guard forces or deploy active-duty troops domestically in response to a “rebellion.”
Source:
Dan Lamothe, Washington Post: Pentagon readies 1,500 soldiers to possibly deploy to Minnesota, officials say https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/18/trump-minnesota-insurrection-act/