Amidst the unrest and police raids currently taking place in Paris, the U.S. military is deploying additional Marines to Europe to bolster security at the American embassy.

“As a result of the terrorist attacks in Paris, and at the request of the Department of State, the Marine Corps completed a movement of a Marine Security Augmentation Unit (MSAU) to Europe,” said Maj. Chris Devine, a Marine spokesman at the Pentagon. The Marines “[stand] ready to provide additional security support to diplomatic facilities when requested by the U.S. ambassador or Department of State.”

The Marine Security Augmentation Unit (MSAU) was established in 2013 as a reaction to the 2012 attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi. There are 120 MSAU officers based in their Quantico, Virginia headquarters, but to protect operational security the amount of Marines deployed to Paris was left ambiguous by officials. Since it was founded two years ago, the MSAU has conducted 60 missions around the globe.

Interestingly, the deployment of MSAU troops to the American embassy circumvents the Pentagon’s ongoing ban on American military travel to Paris.

The Marine Corps Times.