“And the Taliban will be back in power in a year,” said Brown, 35, who also studied diplomacy at Norwich, a military university in Vermont. “It’s insane.”

Brown supports President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, and by voting for the Democrat, he represents a subtle but potent shift in the voting behavior of some in the military.

Voters who served in the military have long leaned toward Republicans. But there are signs that Biden may have cut into that advantage last year. Biden carried several counties with large military communities — as well as the most concentrated military congressional district last year — that former President Donald Trump and previous Republican presidential nominees counted on for decades.

Veteran groups and pollsters attribute Biden’s gains to a handful of factors, including an increase in female, Black, Latino and college-educated service members, all keys to the Democratic coalition.

But strategists also point to the stark contrast in Biden’s and Trump’s approaches to the military. Biden, the father of an Iraq War veteran, often closes his speeches with a short prayer for U.S. troops. Trump, meanwhile, was quick to praise veterans in public, but also made Islamophobic attacks on the parents of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq — a Gold Star family — and made comments mocking American war dead.

The contrast raises the question of whether Democrats’ fledgling momentum with military voters is more than a momentary anti-Trump blip. It also heaps pressure on Biden to fulfill policy promises and perfect the political outreach to veterans getting underway.

“This president has got to end these wars,” said Jon Soltz, a former Army tank captain who formed the Democratic-leaning VoteVets.org in 2006. “He’s got to fulfill some of these promises. There’s a war-weariness in the military.”

Results from around the country last year suggest Biden has an edge with some military voters unlike his recent predecessors.

Among several military-leaning spots on the national map, Biden carried Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, which contains the most active duty and veteran service members in the country. It includes the world’s largest naval base, Naval Station Norfolk, and is home to more than 110,000 active and retired service members. Trump won the district in 2016, as did Republicans Mitt Romney in 2012 and John McCain in 2008.

Biden also flipped New Hampshire’s Rockingham County, home of Portsmouth and the U.S. Navy’s oldest continuously operating shipyard. He was also the first Democrat ever to carry Riley County, Kansas. It’s the home of Kansas State University, but also Fort Riley Army base, where the National Bio Defense research has drawn an educated and racially and ethnically diverse military workforce.

“In all of the data we saw, Biden was doing better with veterans and active duty,” than previous Democratic nominees going back decades, said Celinda Lake, one of the Biden campaign’s two main pollsters. “And the campaign was very active in targeting veterans, including talking about his son being a veteran of the current engagements, and that resonated with active military and veterans.”

Early in the 2020 campaign, aides recognized the former vice president’s unique profile as a potential commander in chief. Having been to Iraq and Afghanistan dozens of times as vice president and, before that, a longtime member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he also is the father of an Iraq War veteran, his late son Beau.

“We ran commander in chief ads in Iowa because we thought the country needed it,” said Greg Schultz, Biden’s campaign manager through the early 2020 primaries and caucuses. “But it was also a signal to military veterans and their families that Biden gets it.”

The Afghanistan decision is a priority for many on active duty and especially post-9/11 veterans like Brown, though there are others who served there who may think the U.S. is abandoning Afghans they worked with or who feel the sacrifices of the more than 3,500 U.S. troops who died there were in vain.

The move is a longtime promise of Biden, who advocated it as vice president, though it never happened during the eight years of the Obama administration.

“It is the responsibility of the Afghans to take care of their own security,” Biden said during a 2012 vice presidential debate, pledging that the U.S. would be gone in two years. “We’ve been in this war for over a decade.”

There’s no sign that veterans’ views on the war differ dramatically from other Americans’. A July 2019 Pew Research Poll found 58 percent of veterans said the war in Afghanistan was not worth fighting, nearly identical to the general public’s view at 59 percent.

VoteVets is taking actions to keep Biden’s momentum from slowing. The group has hired Schultz, Biden’s former campaign manager, as a consultant to help build a veteran voter database to improve outreach.

Beyond Trump’s insensitive remarks about some troops and their families, his decisions to abruptly withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, which left Kurdish allies unprotected, angered some military leaders. In an extraordinary rebuke after the 2020 election, all 10 living former secretaries of defense cautioned against involving the military in pursuing Trump’s false claims of election fraud, calling any such move “dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory.”

Likewise, the Trump administration’s Pentagon policy barred transgender people from joining the military, while Trump was seen as doing little to distance himself from far-right racist groups at a time when the military has become more diverse.

Unless Biden runs against Trump in 2024, Republicans could likely recoup some of those military voters, said Peter Feaver, a Duke University professor and former special adviser to President George W. Bush’s National Security Council.

“From a military voter point of view, it is Trumpism more than Republicanism that is off-putting,” Feaver said. “The more Trump recedes from view, the greater the attention on the problems within the Democratic coalition on national security and defense issues will be.”

VoteVets’ Soltz sees the Afghanistan decision as one that his group can cite as it promotes support for Biden in the years leading up to the next presidential election, especially as the administration moves to confront Russia and China, considered more direct threats to U.S. security.

“There is an intellectual conversation at the highest level of the military about meeting tomorrow’s demands that aren’t yesterday’s,” Soltz said. “And Afghanistan is a yesterday.”

Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report from Washington.

The scene — which came just one week after hundreds of rioters attacked the building in a bid to preserve Donald Trump’s hold on the presidency — for many was a jarring militarization of the center of American democracy.

But, lawmakers said, it was also a necessary precaution given the previous violence and ongoing threats to the Capitol complex.

“The attack on the Capitol was a violent insurrection that resulted in the spilling of American blood,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in response to reporters’ questions about the military security presence. “Officers were brutally beaten. The attackers wanted to assassinate Nancy Pelosi, hang Mike Pence, and hunt down sitting members of Congress.

“That’s insurrection. That’s sedition. That’s lawlessness. That’s terror. It should not and will not be tolerated. And that’s why extraordinary security measures have been taken.”

Five people died in the Jan. 6 assault, including Capitol Hill police officer Brian Sicknick, a former New Jersey Air National Guard member who was injured and killed by rioters.

Pentagon and White House officials received significant criticism after the attack for the slow deployment of Guard troops to respond to the violence, which followed a large pro-Trump rally on the National Mall.

This week, in preparation of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20, thousands of Guard members were mobilized to provide security support around Washington, D.C. Law enforcement officials sped up that work in recent days, after the announcement of a second impeachment vote against Trump (this time for inciting the Jan. 6 violence) and following new threats against the members of Congress.

Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Craig Clapper, spokesman for the District of Columbia National Guard, said that by Wednesday morning, about 6,600 guardsmen were stationed inside or nearby congressional buildings.

Pictures circulated throughout social media on Wednesday of uniformed members stationed beside stately statutes and sleeping on marble floors between assignments. Cafeterias usually packed with staffers in suits instead boasted lines of troops in uniform.

The Capitol Visitors Center, typically packed with tourists, served as a distribution point for weapons and riot shields.

“It’s hard to believe we’ve come to this,” Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., wrote on Twitter. “I’m grateful for the National Guard keeping our democracy and all those who work in the Capitol safe on this solemn day.”

Images of guardsmen sleeping in Capitol hallways prompted a flood of queries from members of the public about donations to help support the troops. Officials from the National Guard Bureau late Wednesday clarified that the guardsmen were “in a designated rest area between shifts” and have “appropriate lodging for when they are off-duty.”

During one moment between shifts, Republican Florida Rep. Brian Mast — an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan — gave a short tour and history lesson of the Capitol rotunda to a group of about 30 guardsmen.

The number of Guard personnel in Washington, D.C., is expected to rise to 15,000 by the start of next week. That puts more than three times as many troops in America’s capital than in Afghanistan and Iraq combined.

Officials from the Presidential Inaugural Committee said that the trip to Arlington — arguably one of the best-known military sites in America — is designed to “honor our men and women in uniform who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our common values.” It will be one of Biden’s first official acts as commander-in-chief.

Biden is expected to be accompanied at the cemetery by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. All of their spouses are also expected to attend.

The inauguration ceremony, scheduled to be held on Jan. 20, has been scaled down from past celebrations because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, the attack on the Capitol building last week by rioters supporting President Donald Trump is expected to result in even more changes, to ensure the security of the incoming administration.

Five people died in the violence, which took place the same day members of Congress were scheduled to certify Biden’s victory in last fall’s presidential election.

Biden is still scheduled to take the oath of office at the Capitol building, in keeping with tradition.

Even with new security restrictions around Washington, D.C., officials from the inaugural committee are vowing to hold an event “showcasing the American people’s resilience, heroism, and unified commitment to coming together as a nation to heal and rebuild so that we emerge as the indomitable force that a united America represents.

Officials plan to install more than 191,000 flags on the National Mall for the event, representing “the American people who are unable to travel to Washington, D.C.” for the inauguration.

The Arlington cemetery visit is expected to take place shortly after the swearing in.

Biden has vowed that the care of veterans and military families will be major focal points of his time in office, and first lady Jill Biden is expected to revive the military-focused Joining Forces initiative she founded with Michelle Obama during Biden’s term as vice president.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The AP Friday that any changes will be determined by the intelligence gathered in the coming days about potential threats. But he said they are looking at allowing troops to carry their M-4 rifles or 9 mm Berettas, and he will know more in a day or two.

The review reflects concerns about the safety of the Guard troops in the wake of the deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, and would also consider the legal restrictions that prohibit the use of the military for domestic law enforcement. Allowing troops to carry deadly weapons would run up against deep-seated fears about the optics of anything suggesting that U.S. military forces were being used against Americans on U.S. soil.

“We’ll be looking at the intelligence, and make a determination over the next day or so,” McCarthy said. “It’s just going to require us to get better intel, and then we’ll have to make a risk assessment.”

In June, after a chaotic law enforcement response to Washington street protests over the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, some critics warned of an overly militarized approach to containing the problem. This was in part due to the military-style clothing worn by some federal law enforcement personnel, including security forces of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, and their failure to wear identification markings.

In a letter to Trump just days after the June chaos, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanded answers from the administration. “We are concerned about the increased militarization and lack of clarity that may increase chaos,” she wrote. “I am writing to request a full list of the agencies involved and clarifications of the roles and responsibilities of the troops and federal law enforcement resources operating in the city.”

As a result, deployment of the Guard in D.C. this week has included a number of restrictions, including that they will not carry weapons. Because they are unarmed, they are generally limited to tasks that prevent them from having direct contact with potentially violent protesters, such as staffing checkpoints.

McCarthy also said they expect better intelligence on protests and crowds.

He complained earlier this week that the intelligence on the potential crowd size Wednesday was “all over the board” — ranging from about 2,000 to 80,000. He said Friday that there are new plans to have more frequent meetings with law enforcement to go over the intelligence reports so that law enforcement is better prepared.

He added that he has already allowed one change. As of Thursday evening, he said Guard members in D.C. are being allowed to wear their ballistic helmets. That decision comes amid news that a U.S. Capitol Police officer died as a result of injuries he got during the riot. Officer Brian D. Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, two law enforcement officials said. The officials could not discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Four other people died during the riot, including one rioter who was shot by police.

As the chaos at the Capitol played out, the Pentagon moved to activate Guard members in five nearby states, to bolster the D.C. National Guard and law enforcement already in the city. All together, 6,200 Guard members have been activated, and are expected to arrive in D.C. over the next few days.

Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson said Friday that he has also reached out to all the other states, asking them what capabilities they might be able to contribute, if needed.

So far, McCarthy said, they are going to have 850 National Guard members on the Capitol grounds, doing 12-hour shifts, as well as 90 more at various checkpoints. He said there has also been a request from the Park Police for a 150-person quick reaction force, which is likely to be approved. And he said other requests are pouring in.

AP National Security Writer Robert Burns contributed to this report.

“The entire D.C. National Guard has been mobilized,” said McCarthy, appointed by President Donald Trump. “We have also received support from [the] states of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York.”

The troops will be available to man static security positions around the city, including along a 7-foot-high non-scalable fence being constructed around the Capitol on Thursday. McCarthy stated that 850 troops would be on Capitol Hill by noon Thursday, freeing up local police.

“We could get as many Metropolitan Police officers out into the streets [as possible] so that in the event that if this was to recur…[MPD Chief Robert Contee III] would have as much flexibility with his police force as possible,” said McCarthy. “And we could take over the static security positions.”

The troops will remain on the ground “through the inauguration,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

A source with first-hand knowledge of the situation told Military Times that at least some D.C. and Maryland Guard troops were receiving 31-day Title 32 orders, which allow the troops to enjoy full benefits such as health insurance and housing allowance. The source requested anonymity because of not being authorized to speak with media. During a Thursday evening teleconference, McCarthy confirmed that all 6,200 troops are “on a minimum of a 30-day deployment” on Title 32 orders.

Asked by a reporter “why there were no troops or any other backup security [at the Capitol] yesterday,” McCarthy said that the Capitol Police had not requested assistance from the National Guard, a prerequisite to the deployment of Guard troops.

In the later teleconference, McCarthy and Assistant Defense Secretary for Homeland Defense and Global Security Kenneth Rapuano clarified that Capitol Police had repeatedly opted not to request assistance from the National Guard.

“We were informed that additional support from [the Defense Department] was not needed…as late as Sunday,” said Rapuano.

In the earlier in-person press conference, Bowser called for Congress to pass legislation that would give her control of the D.C. National Guard, saying it would make it easier to respond to crises like Wednesday’s attack.

“We could be nimble in how we change [deployment plans],” she explained. Currently the District must clear deployment plans with McCarthy, who has the authority to activate the D.C. Guard. Those plans are then less flexible, she explained, because any changes have to be approved by McCarthy, who has command authority over the forces.

Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, who oversees McCarthy, signed off on the decision to activate the troops, according to POLITICO.

“I, and the people I lead in the Department of Defense… will execute the time-honored peaceful transition of power to President-elect Biden on January 20,” said Miller in a statement Thursday afternoon.

But on Wednesday afternoon, securing Miller’s authorization took about an hour, a source familiar with the process told Military Times, from the time McCarthy received it around 2 p.m. on Wednesday. The source was not authorized to speak about it on the record.

“If you’re under duress, minutes and seconds count,” said McCarthy in the Thursday teleconference. He did not address whether Congress should shift the D.C. Guard to the mayor’s control.

One of the reasons for the delayed in deploying the already-activated members of the D.C. Guard on Wednesday was the need for troops to return to the armory and don riot gear, said McCarthy.

McCarthy did not answer a question, though, about whether the 6,200 troops standing watch through the inauguration will be armed or what protective gear they will utilize.

It was not immediately clear when troops would be arriving from their respective states. A New York National Guard spokesman, Army Col. Richard Goldenberg, told Military Times on Wednesday evening that “it does take us a little bit of time to alert and mobilize these forces to have them come in, and to have them muster, and to have them board buses and head on down.”

Goldenberg also indicated that the New York troops were previously tagged to deploy to the District to support inauguration security.

“[We’re] part of a larger package by the National Guard Bureau for the inaugural support mission,” said Goldenberg. “It’s not like we weren’t expecting and planning and preparing for inaugural support for 2021.”

McCarthy described the 6,200 troops as “a larger composition of personnel than you would have for a standard inauguration,” in Thursday’s news conference, though.

The Pennsylvania National Guard declined to answer questions from Military Times, saying only the governor’s office was authorized to speak on the matter. Press staff for Governor Tom Wolf did not immediately respond to a query from Military Times.

NGB officials referred Military Times to the D.C. Guard in response to emailed questions regarding the inauguration mission. The D.C. Guard did not respond to emailed inquiries from Military Times.

Military Times’ Meghann Myers contributed reporting to this story.

“[We’re] part of a larger package by the National Guard Bureau for the inaugural support mission,” said New York National Guard spokesman Army Col. Richard Goldenberg. “It’s not like we weren’t expecting and planning and preparing for inaugural support for 2021.”

NGB and D.C. National Guard officials did not immediately respond to questions from Military Times for more information about the inaugural support mission, including other participating states.

Goldenberg indicated in a phone interview with Military Times that the troops would take some time to mobilize and arrive.

“As a National Guard force, it does take us a little bit of time to alert and mobilize these forces to have them come in, and to have them muster, and to have them board buses and head on down,” he said. “We do expect them down there before early next week.”

“[Guardsmen] who normally support and traditionally have supported the inaugural presidential elections every four years have traditionally show up about a week to 10 days probably in advance of the actual ceremony,” explained Goldenberg. “In this case we’re probably going to get there a little bit even before that.”

President-elect Joseph Biden will take the oath of office on Jan. 20 on the Capitol steps.

While Cuomo said in a statement that the troops would “aid and facilitate the peaceful transition of presidential power,” Guard officials clarified that the troops had not been requested in response to Wednesday’s violence. Rioters who supported defeated President Donald Trump violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to disrupt the certification of Electoral College results by Congress. After the Capitol complex was cleared of the insurrectionist mob, Congress certified the election results early Thursday morning.

“Based on today’s actions, I think [Cuomo] was wanted to show a positive step and a positive attitude, which this is, yes,” said Goldenberg. “But the reality is that we were at the inaugural four years ago in 2016; we were at the inaugural back in 2012; we were at the inaugural back in 2008.”

The entire D.C. National Guard — more than 1,000 troops — was activated in response to the assault on the Capitol. Additional Guard forces, including 500 from Maryland and an undisclosed number of troops from Virginia, also deployed to the nation’s capitol, according to National Guard officials and public announcements from the states’ governors.

The D.C. National Guard will remain on duty through at least Thursday evening, according to documents obtained and reviewed by Military Times.

By Wednesday afternoon, media outlets had declared Democrat candidate Jon Ossoff the winner in that Senate runoff race, leading incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue by more than 27,000 votes. Earlier, media outlets declared Democrat Raphael Warnock the winner in the other Georgia Senate runoff race, defeating Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler. He was leading by more than 64,000 votes as of Wednesday afternoon.

Military and overseas absentee ballots are still being counted, and will be counted if they arrive to election officials by 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, under Georgia law, if they are postmarked no later than Jan. 5. As of Wednesday morning, there were there are about 14,000 military and overseas absentee ballots still outstanding, but no one can predict how many of those will be returned, according to Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s voting system implementation manager. Officials have said 17,000 military and overseas ballots were sent out. Traditionally, not all of these military and overseas absentee voters return their voted ballots, for various reasons.

Eyes across the country have been on the two Jan. 5 Senate runoff races in Georgia, which will determine which party controls the Senate. More than 4.4 million votes have been counted in the runoff races.

As of Wednesday morning, as the counting resumed in Georgia, there were about 60,000 mailed-in ballots yet to be counted, that had been received by election officials by the time the polls closed Tuesday evening, Sterling said. As the counting progressed during the day, the winning margins increased for the Democrat candidates. Those mailed-in ballots have different deadlines than the military and overseas absentee ballots, which can be received up through Friday.

Under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, commonly known as UOCAVA, states must make certain provisions to make voting easier for voters who are U.S. citizens living overseas, and military voters who are absent from their voting district, whether in the U.S. or overseas. That includes offering voters the option of receiving their blank ballot electronically (states can choose to offer email, fax, or online portal); and accepting the FWAB as a backup ballot for all federal elections. States are required to send the blank ballots to UOCAVA voters at least 45 days before an election.

A number of states, including Georgia, allow extra transit time for voted ballots for these UOCAVA voters, as long as they are postmarked by election day, or in some cases, the day before.

Trump’s supporters are planning to rally Tuesday and Wednesday, seeking to bolster the president’s unproven claims of widespread voter fraud. “There are people intent on coming to our city armed,” D.C. Acting Police Chief Robert Contee said Monday.

A pro-Trump rally in December ended in violence as hundreds of Trump supporters, wearing the signature black and yellow of the Proud Boys faction, sought out confrontations with a collective of local activists attempting to bar them from Black Lives Matter Plaza, an area near the White House.

Trump has repeatedly encouraged the protests and hinted that he may get personally involved. Over the weekend, he retweeted a promotion for the rally with the message, “I will be there. Historic Day!”

At a November rally, which drew about 15,000 people, Trump staged a limousine drive-by past cheering crowds in Freedom Plaza, on the city’s iconic Pennsylvania Avenue. And at the December rally, which drew smaller numbers but a larger contingent of Proud Boys, Trump’s helicopter flew low over cheering crowds on the National Mall.

The protests coincide with Wednesday’s congressional vote expected to certify the Electoral College results, which Trump continues to dispute,

Election officials from both political parties, governors in key battleground states and Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have said there was no widespread fraud in the election. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two rejected by the Supreme Court.

Now with downtown D.C. businesses boarding up their windows, Mayor Muriel Bowser has requested a limited National Guard deployment to help bolster the Metropolitan Police Department. During a press conference on Monday, Bowser asked that local area residents stay away from downtown D.C., and avoid confrontations with anyone who is “looking for a fight.” But, she warned, “we will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city.”

According to a U.S. defense official, Bowser put in a request on New Year’s Eve to have Guard members on the streets from Tuesday to Thursday to help with the protests. The official said the additional forces will be used for traffic control and other assistance but they will not be armed or wearing body armor. Congress is meeting this week to certify the Electoral College results, and Trump has refused to concede while whipping up support for protests.

Some 340 D.C. National Guard members will be activated, with about 115 on duty in the streets at any given time, said the defense official, who provided details on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The official said Guard members will be used to set up traffic control points around the city and to stand with district police officers at all the city’s Metro stops. Contee said Guard troops will also be used for some crowd management.

“Some of our intelligence certainly suggests there will be increased crowd sizes,” said Contee.

D.C. police have posted signs throughout downtown warning that carrying any sort of firearm is illegal and Contee asked area residents to warn authorities of anyone who might be armed.

Because D.C. does not have a governor, the designated commander of the city’s National Guard is Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy. Any D.C. requests for Guard deployments have to be approved by him.

The defense official said that there will be no active duty military troops in the city, and the U.S. military will not be providing any aircraft or intelligence. The D.C. Guard will provide specialized teams that will be prepared to respond to any chemical or biological incident. But the official said there will be no D.C. Guard members on the National Mall or at the U.S. Capitol.

At previous pro-Trump protests, police have sealed off Black Lives Matter Plaza itself, but the confrontations merely spilled out to the surrounding streets. Contee on Monday said sealing the area again was “a very real possibility” but said that decision would depend on the circumstances.

“We know that historically over the last few demonstrations that BLM plaza has been a focal point,” Contee said. “We want to make sure that that is not an issue.”

The National Park Service has received three separate applications for pro-Trump protests on Tuesday or Wednesday, with estimated maximum attendance at around 15,000 people, said Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst. On Monday, a stage was being assembled for one of the protests on The Ellipse, just south of the White House.

Organizers plan to rally on Tuesday evening at Freedom Plaza and again all day Wednesday on the Ellipse, including a 1 p.m. Wednesday march to the Capitol. Expected attendees include high-level Trump supporters like Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Republican strategist Roger Stone, a longtime Trump devotee whose three-year prison sentence was commuted by Trump. Stone was convicted of repeatedly lying to Congress during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

During the Dec. 12 pro-Trump protests, at least two local Black churches had Black Lives Matter banners torn down and set ablaze. Contee said the hate-crimes investigation into those incidents was still ongoing and that his officers would be out in force around area churches to prevent similar incidents.

“We will be increasing out visibility around the churches in the area,” he said.

On Monday the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law filed a lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court against the Proud Boys and their leader Enrique Tarrio on behalf on one of the vandalized churches, Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church.

“We will not allow white supremacist violence to go unchecked by the laws of the land,” Rev. William H Lamar IV, pastor of Metropolitan AME, said in a statement.

Associated Press writers Elana Schor and Michael Kunzelman contributed to this report.

The number of veterans in Congress has declined almost steadily since the mid-1970s, as the military shifted from an end strength of largely drafted individuals to an all-volunteer force. In 1973, nearly three in every four members of Congress had some type of military service. In 2021, it’ll be about one in every six members who have military experience.

That’s the lowest since at least the start of World War II. Information on congressional members with veteran experience before then is incomplete, making comparisons difficult.

However, the number could grow in coming years. Of the 79 lawmakers elected to the 117th Congress who are aged 45 or younger, 21 (about 27 percent) served in the military.

But for now, the shrinking cohort of veterans elected to the House and Senate this session will be charged with sharing their knowledge of Defense Department operations and Veterans Affairs procedures with colleagues who lack direct personal experience on the topics.

Here’s a look at the group, by the numbers:

• 91 total veterans in the 117th Congress.

• 17 will serve in the Senate, 74 will serve in the House.

• 28 are Democrats, 63 are Republicans.

• 13 served in the military in the 1960s or earlier.

• 50 served in the military after 2000.

• More than half (49) had overseas combat deployments.

• 15 are first-time lawmakers.

• 6 are women, a decrease of 1 from last Congress

• 44 served in the Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard.

• 15 served in the Air Force, Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard.

• 15 served in the Marine Corps or Marine Corps Reserve.

• 17 served in the Navy or Naval Reserve.

• None served in the Coast Guard.

• Texas has the most veterans in their state delegation, with nine.

• 12 states have no veterans in their state delegations (Idaho, Missouri, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming)

Below is the full list of veterans elected to Congress last fall or returning to incumbent Senate seats that were not up for re-election this cycle:

In his first public remarks since President-elect Joe Biden announced him as his pick to lead VA, McDonough said he sees his mission of improving services for veterans as one that can unite the entire country, even amid the fractured aftermath of the recent presidential election.

“Taking care of our veterans is not a job for the VA alone,” McDonough said in a press conference announcing several new Biden Cabinet nominees. “Every federal department and agency has a role to play. And I will fight like hell to make that happen.

“Even though only 1 percent of Americans wear the uniform, under President Biden, every American will be called upon to embrace our responsibility to support our veterans, and our military families.”

If confirmed, the 51-year-old former chief of staff for President Barack Obama would be only the second person without military experience to lead the department. The pick was seen as a surprise among many in the veterans community, most of whom offered cautious support after the announcement on Thursday.

McDonough gave a nod to that skepticism in his remarks, saying he looks forward to being a “partner” with the veterans organizations moving ahead.

Biden on Friday said he is confident that McDonough brings the right mix of government experience and enthusiasm to the post.

“He knows the cost of war on veterans and their families, from the toll on their physical and mental health to access to good paying jobs,” Biden said. “He’s a fierce advocate and a relentless workhorse.

“And I believe, and I think everyone who’s ever worked with Denis knows, he’s a world-class manager with an innate understanding of how government can and must work for our veterans.”

Members of Biden’s transition team have emphasized McDonough’s past work behind-the-scenes on VA issues in the wake of the 2014 wait time scandals, which forced the resignation of then VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.

In a statement Thursday, former VA Secretary Bob McDonald (who replaced Shinseki) praised McDonough as “a crisis-tested leader of character with great knowledge, skills, and experience in using the levers of government.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs had a budget of more than $220 billion for fiscal 2020, employing 400,000-plus staff. Last year, the department provided medical care for more than 9 million veterans and disability benefits for more than 5 million.

McDonough said one of his primary goals will be to “make our VA even more welcoming to all veterans — including our women veterans, veterans of color and LGBTQ veterans — and keeping faith with our incredible military families and caregivers.”

McDonough’s wife, Kari, is co-founder and president of Vets Community Connections, a non-profit focused on outreach to veterans and military families. Biden referenced her work in connection with his own wife’s past work on the Joining Forces campaign during Obama’s presidency.

No timeline has been set on confirmation hearings for McDonough or the other Biden Cabinet nominees. Biden’s inauguration is scheduled for Jan. 20.