Representatives of the US National Guard in California wanted to use the fighter jet to quell possible protests in March 2020. The military assumed that restricting movement due to the spread of the coronavirus could cause discontent among residents. This became known to the Los Angeles Times.
Four US military said they were awaiting instructions on training ground troops and were ordered to alert the F-15C fighter “for a possible internal mission.” The rest of the nuances of the assignment were not specified. According to representatives of the National Guard, in the event of unrest, they were supposed to fly over the protesters at a minimum height.
The military noted that such instructions were not transmitted through official written orders, but orally or in text messages. “It would be a completely illegal order that would disgrace the military. Then it might seem that we are threatening civilians, “- said one of the sources of the publication.
Representatives of the publication asked for comments to the head of the National Guard, Major General David Ballwin. Its representative, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Shiroma, denied information about the possible use of the F-15C, noting that before the protests, the Armed Forces did prepare aircraft, but fighters were not considered for this purpose.
