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Some National Guard members have started carrying their service-issued weapons around the nation’s capital.
“Starting the late evening of August 24, 2025, JTF- DC (Joint Task Force - DC) service members began carrying their service-issued weapon,” the Guard said in a statement late Sunday.
“Task force personnel operate under the established Rules for the Use of Force, which allow the use of force only as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm,” the Guard added.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo late last week authorizing National Guard troops deployed in Washington, D.C., to carry weapons if their mission requires it.
Roughly 2,300 Guard troops have been deployed in Washington and seen in low-crime tourist areas. Soldiers and airmen assigned to a beautification task force have conducted site surveys to begin community restoration projects over the next several days.
More than 900 members of the District of Columbia National Guard have been deployed, along with about 1,300 Guard members coming from Republican-led states, including Tennessee, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia and Ohio.
“Starting the late evening of August 24, 2025, JTF- DC (Joint Task Force - DC) service members began carrying their service-issued weapon,” the Guard said in a statement late Sunday.
“Task force personnel operate under the established Rules for the Use of Force, which allow the use of force only as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm,” the Guard added.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo late last week authorizing National Guard troops deployed in Washington, D.C., to carry weapons if their mission requires it.
Roughly 2,300 Guard troops have been deployed in Washington and seen in low-crime tourist areas. Soldiers and airmen assigned to a beautification task force have conducted site surveys to begin community restoration projects over the next several days.
More than 900 members of the District of Columbia National Guard have been deployed, along with about 1,300 Guard members coming from Republican-led states, including Tennessee, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia and Ohio.
Some National Guard troops in DC now carrying service-issued weapons
Roughly 2,300 Guard troops have been deployed in Washington and seen in low-crime tourist areas.