WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved the National Guard to increase its presence in the nation’s capital aboard military vehicles and boats, as troops deepen their integration with local law enforcement.
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In two memos signed Oct. 29 and obtained by The Associated Press, Hegseth authorized the National Guard to use 60 military police cars as well as tactical vehicles, patrol boats and portable light towers during increased patrols around Washington. Troops will also be able to carry rifles during certain operations, but not in metro stations.
The sight of vehicles that seem more at home on a battlefield than on a city street will remind us of the time when President Donald Trump first deployed the National Guard in August 2025 for what he called a crime-fighting mission. Tactical vehicles and troops carrying weapons were first seen at some Washington monuments. National Guard members supported law enforcement operations, patrolled neighborhoods, dispersed homeless camps and assisted in citywide cleanup efforts.
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An increase in troop presence comes amid growing problems involving Guard members assigned to the city, including the arrest of a Georgia trooper for pointing a gun at another Guard member, the arrest of a Guard member for carrying an unauthorized firearm and the shooting of a guard while trying to break up a fight.
The memos indicate that “visibility patrols,” a pillar of the Guard’s mission in Washington, will be expanded and that 20 light towers will be used to “enhance force protection in patrol areas.”
But Hegseth says the maximum number of Guard members deployed would remain at 3,500, less than the summer peak of about 5,000 during America’s 250th birthday celebrations.
Hegseth authorized the National Guard to use patrol cars and tactical vehicles to support law enforcement operations, although the memos emphasize that patrol cars must be marked as “National Guard” and troops must be in uniform. Two National Guard patrol boats will also be used “to provide operational maritime support.” The memos prohibit troops from conducting high-speed chases.
The memos suggest the troops will play a larger role in fighting “gangs and drug dealers.” Hegseth continues to provide six analysts “to address organized drug distribution in Washington,” and troops supporting anti-gang and anti-drug operations will now be able to carry rifles in addition to their traditional pistols.
One of the memos authorizes the US Marshals Service to use the Washington, DC National Guard’s 260th Special Brigade – a unit that operated as a “quick reaction force” – to help protect “key federal leaders” and secure and defend “key federal installations.”
A request from the Marshals Service for National Guard helicopters or the use of troops “to clean up abandoned tires in specific areas of D.C.,” however, was denied in a Nov. 4 memo.
When asked about the memos, the Pentagon confirmed that Hegseth “authorized the continued use of National Guard personnel and capabilities to support the Make DC Safe and Beautiful mission.”
The District of Columbia, which filed suit in September 2025 over the deployment of the National Guard, argued that the mobilization constituted an illegal use of the military for domestic law enforcement. A federal appeals court panel heard arguments Oct. 14 after a lower court sided with the city.
Nearly 3,100 Guard members from various states are in Washington, including more than 500 from Georgia, the largest contingent behind the District of Columbia, which had 514 members involved as of Monday.
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