 The Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas at the White House briefing in Washington. Story from Newsweek, there will be roughly 1,700 U.S. service members, a majority from the National Guard as well as a small active duty component, assisting with the Republican National Convention this week, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Monday. One of the questions to Secretary Mayorkas at the news conference was about how some Republicans are interpreting the assassination attempt of Donald Trump.