CA Army National Guard ready for humanitarian efforts, not martial law

By Allen Payton

Concerns that the National Guard or other branches of the military are mobilizing in Contra Costa County in preparation for martial law are unfounded.

A video showing a convoy of mostly flatbed trucks driving on Port Chicago Highway at Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO – formerly known as the Concord Naval Weapons Station), was posted on Facebook on Tuesday.

According to the MilitaryBases.com website, “MOTCO is the primary West Coast common-user ammunition terminal, and it is home to the 834th Transportation Battalion (TB) of the Army’s Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) installation.” It “is the primary west coast common-user ammunition terminal, supplying Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps facilities in the area.”

But, according to an Army National Guard spokesman, he isn’t aware of anything happening in Concord.

“The Guard has been alerted and we have a contingent activated for humanitarian efforts, whatever is needed. Not for any martial law,” Lt. Colonel Jonathan Shiroma said. “It’s an unprecedented situation, here. So, we understand the concerns.”

The humanitarian efforts may include distributing food. He also confirmed that there have been no exercises by the National Guard this week in Concord. The Guard will be responding now, since the governor, who is their commander in chief, issued his stay at home order statewide, last night.

So, the convoy could have been any one of the four branches of the military served by MOTCO.