'CHANGES IN POSTURE': Thousands of National Guard troops from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York and Virginia have joined those from D.C. to ensure what took place last week at the U.S. Capitol doesn't happen again. And this time they have brought their weapons. "We are not carrying weapons now, but any changes in posture will be determined by intel reports and risk assessment," Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Craig Clapper, a D.C. National Guard spokesperson, told Military Times on Sunday. On Sunday, Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) released a summary of a call he had with Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, and said DoD "is aware of further possible threats posed by would-be terrorists in the days up to and including Inauguration Day and is working with local and federal law enforcement to coordinate security preparations." Officials are clearly concerned about being caught off-guard again. The Pentagon acknowledged over the weekend that a quick-reaction force on standby at the time was not prepared to respond due to a lack of planning, The Washington Post reported. "We receive our intelligence from law enforcement agencies, whether they're federal or local," McCarthy said, adding that Defense Department officials didn't in their "wildest imagination" envision the crowd breaching the Capitol grounds. But Maryland's Republican Gov. Larry Hogan also said Sunday he remained baffled by the confusion in approving National Guard help last week. "All I know is that we were trying to get answers and we weren't getting answers. It could have been just the fog of what's going on," he told CNN on Sunday, POLITICO's David Cohen reported. As the dust settles there are also growing concerns about the role that military veterans played in the riot, including a retired Air Force officer who told The New Yorker that "the President asked for his supporters to be there to attend, and I felt like it was important, because of how much I love this country, to actually be there." But he denied that he had planned for the protest to turn violent, despite being photographed carrying zip ties inside the building. Related: The Capitol Hill insurrection reveals veterans are at war against themselves, via Task & Purpose. And: San Diego veteran's radical path led to Trump, QAnon and deadly insurrection, via The Los Angeles Times. Plus: How Ashli Babbitt is being turned into a far-right recruiting tool, via Time. NUCLEAR ANXIETY: The rising alarm about the president's mental state quickly extended to concerns about whether he can be trusted as the sole authority to order the use of nuclear weapons — or if any president should be. Pelosi sought assurances on Friday in a discussion with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley "about available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike," she told fellow lawmakers in a letter, our colleagues Connor O'Brien and Jacqueline Feldscher reported. 'One fallible human': Adding their voice to the debate were former Defense Secretary William Perry and Tom Collina, director of policy at the Ploughshares Fund, who laid out a series of recommendations in a POLITICO op-ed on how to reduce the danger of an unchecked commander in chief. "Once Biden is sworn in as president, the nuclear football will be his," they added. "It will then be up to Biden to retire the football and ensure that we never again entrust the most powerful killing machine ever created to just one fallible human." Not everyone considered it a wise or even a realistic discussion to have at this sensitive juncture. "We've seen him do some crazy things, but let's not start dragging out things like nuclear codes," Colin Powell told NBC's "Today" show, referring to Trump. "I was the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and I can tell you for sure that if something like this ever happened and someone suddenly said, 'We want to use a nuclear weapon,' they would never get near it." "It makes America look weak and weakness is provocative," added a Defense Department official who advises nuclear commanders. "I don't think what Pelosi is doing is helpful." Related: How Trump's exile from social media alters the future of politics, security, and public health, via Defense One. PENTAGON ACCOUNTABILITY OR REVENGE? Maryland's senators on Friday urged acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller not to fire the head of the Defense Department's medical school, expressing concern such a move would be "retribution for his advocacy on behalf of military medicine," Feldscher reports. The Pentagon says it is seeking to fire Dr. Richard Thomas over "poor judgement" in his supervision of subordinates. But Thomas' supporters insist he is being penalized for fighting against proposed budget cuts to the university. "His removal at this particular time appears to be retribution for his advocacy on behalf of military medicine," Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin wrote. "We urge you in the strongest possible terms to review this action immediately." | 
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