Guard members on duty in D.C. could potentially be armed, reveals National Guard statement.
National Guard Members in Washington D.C. Authorized to Carry Weapons
In a significant shift, some National Guard members in Washington D.C. have been authorized to carry their service-issued weapons while on duty, effective from the evening of August 24, 2025. This decision was made following a memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, directed to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau and the Secretary of the Army.
These Guard members are operating under established Rules for the Use of Force, which permit the use of force only as a last resort and solely "in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm." The deployment includes approximately 2,300 troops, with about 900 from the District of Columbia National Guard and 1,300 from various Republican-led states.
Initially, the Army had stated that Guard members would not carry weapons or make arrests. However, the recent authorization marks a notable shift tied to mission requirements in the current deployment. The Guard members are primarily seen in low-crime tourist areas, and it is not yet clear whether their activities will expand to more active security patrols in higher-crime neighborhoods.
Guard members stationed in public areas would not conduct arrests but serve as a "visible crime deterrent." They will also be equipped with personal protective equipment such as body armor.
The presence of National Guard troops on the streets of the capital has been a subject of concern for some, such as Rosa Brooks, a former Metropolitan Police Department reserve officer, who voiced alarm at the presence of National Guard troops who are not trained in day-to-day law enforcement on the streets of the capital.
The violent crime rate in the city has dropped by 26% compared to last year, with over 300 dangerous criminals having been arrested and taken off the streets of Washington, D.C., according to the White House. Authorities have made 308 arrests in Washington since Aug. 7, including 135 immigrants in the U.S. illegally.
The deployment is part of the Trump administration's plan to ramp up policing in the nation's capital. President Trump announced the federal government would assume control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deploy hundreds of federal law enforcement officers and National Guard members to the capital.
The Republican governors of three states - West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio - have stated they would send National Guard members to Washington to assist the federal forces already in the capital.
The Rev. Ronald Bell Jr., a pastor, made Trump's crackdown and the presence of National Guard members on the streets a focus of his sermon. Meanwhile, the White House spokeswoman, Taylor Rogers, stated that President Trump's leadership is making the nation's capital safer. Hundreds of demonstrators protested against the police surge in the city on Saturday.
| Aspect | Details | |--------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------| | Authorization to carry weapons | Authorized by Pentagon memo (late August 2025) | | Applicable area | Washington D.C. cities | | Rules governing weapons use | Use of force only as last resort, against imminent threats to life or serious bodily harm | | Deployment composition | ~900 DC guards, ~1,300 from other states | | Typical patrol areas | Currently low-crime tourist areas, may expand | | Crime rate | Violent crime in the city has dropped 26% compared to last year. | | Administration | Part of the Trump administration's plan to ramp up policing. |
Read also:
- Weekly happenings in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Southwest region's most popular posts, accompanied by an inquiry:
- Discussion between Putin and Trump in Alaska could potentially overshadow Ukraine's concerns
- Massive 8.8 earthquake hits off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, prompting Japan to issue a tsunami alert.
