As many as 20,000 uniformed troops are expected to be deployed within the United States by 2011 to help state and local officials respond to terror attacks and other catastrophes.
The Washington Post reported Monday that the long-planned shift in the Defense Department's role in homeland security was recently backed with funding and troop commitments after years of prodding by Congress and outside experts, defense analysts said.
The Bush administration and some in Congress have pushed for a heightened homeland military role since 2005, saying the greatest domestic threat is terrorists exploiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the report said.
For more details, read "Pentagon to Detail Troops to Bolster Domestic Security."
