About 400 Massachusetts National Guard members heading to DC

BOSTON (AP) — About 400 members of the Massachusetts National Guard are leaving this weekend for Washington to provide public safety support to local, state, and federal agencies in the region.

The decision was made in response to a request from federal authorities for continued support.

The deployment falls under Gov. Charlie Baker’s Jan. 25 activation order, which made up to 700 Massachusetts National Guard personnel available to support the security and logistics capabilities in the nation’s capital.

This second phase of the federally funded mission is expected to last 10 weeks. Previously, around 600 personnel were deployed and later returned home on Feb. 22.

The mission will not interfere with the guard’s ability to respond to respond to emergencies in Massachusetts, the Baker administration said.