With the latest news over D.C where fighter mega scrambled to intercept a non responsive Cessna it got me trying to understand the limits of how the U.S military can operate on Home Soil. My understanding is typically domestic issues require the response of the National Guard but why is the USAF scrambled in the situation with the Jet? What are the restriction that prevent other military equipment being used in domestic situations
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The distinction isn’t “domestic” issues. If a foreign country hypothetically started an invasion of the US, the defense would naturally be happening in the US … domestically. The military should not be used for domestic *law enforcement*. An attack by a foreign force is appropriate for a military response and wayward planes over DC are properly classified as a potential foreign attack on the US.
The Air Force scrambled fighters because the unknown plane was headed towards Washington DC, the US capital. They thought it *might be* an attack.
>With the latest news over D.C where fighter mega scrambled to intercept a non responsive Cessna it got me trying to understand the limits of how the U.S military can operate on Home Soil.
When there’s an incursion into government airspace (whether that’s airspace over a civilian government building, or a military facility, or the like), the military has a pretty wide-open remit to respond to it. In those cases, the USAF or maybe the Marines would have the readiness capability to respond (planes gassed and armed on the tarmac, pilots and crews on standby). Air National Guard doesn’t maintain the same level of readiness as the Big Four branches. At least domestically, the national guard’s mission is more focused on maintaining order and delivering relief in times of crisis (like natural disasters or civil unrest), and in proportion to its size, the Air National Guard is composed of nearly twice as many reservists as the USAF, so the Air Force gets the more frontline/quick response assignments.
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