Troop cap holds at 3,500 as rifles join anti-gang and drug operations
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed off on an expanded National Guard presence in Washington, authorizing troops to patrol in military vehicles and boats as their work alongside local law enforcement deepens.
The approvals came in two memos signed Oct. 29 and obtained by The Associated Press. Hegseth approved the use of 60 military police cars as well as tactical vehicles, patrol boats and portable light towers during increased patrols around the city. Troops will also be able to carry rifles during some operations, though not in Metro rail stations.
The memos say “visibility patrols,” described as a mainstay of the Guard’s mission in Washington, are going to be expanded, and 20 light towers will be employed to “enhance force protection in patrol zones.”
The memos stressed that the patrol cars need to be marked “National Guard” and that troops need to be in uniform. They also forbid troops from conducting high-speed chases. Two National Guard patrol boats will be used “to provide operational maritime support.”
Hegseth said the maximum number of deployed Guard members would stay at 3,500 — lower than a summertime peak of about 5,000 during America’s 250th anniversary celebrations. 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.
The memos suggest that troops will play a greater role in taking on “gangs and drug traffickers.” Hegseth is continuing to provide six analysts “to address organized drug distribution within D.C.,” and troops who are supporting anti-gang and drug operations can now carry rifles in addition to their traditional pistols.
One of the memos grants the U.S. Marshals Service the use of the D.C. National Guard’s 260th Special Purpose Brigade — a unit that functioned as a “quick reaction force” — to help protect “key federal leaders” and help secure and defend “key federal facilities.”
A Marshals Service request for National Guard helicopters or the use of troops “to clean up abandoned tires in specific areas of D.C.” was denied in a Nov. 4 memo, however.
Asked about the memos, the Pentagon confirmed that Hegseth “authorized the continued use of National Guard personnel and capabilities in support of the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission.”
The District of Columbia sued in September 2025 over the deployment and has argued that the mobilization is 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.
President Donald Trump first deployed the National Guard in the capital in August 2025 for what he called a crime-fighting mission. Tactical vehicles and troops carrying guns initially were seen at some Washington landmarks, and Guard members have supported law enforcement operations, patrolled neighborhoods, dispersed homeless camps and helped with citywide cleanup efforts.
The boost in troop presence comes amid increased issues involving Guard members assigned to the city, including the arrest of a Georgia serviceman for pulling a gun on a fellow Guard member, the arrest of a Guard member for carrying an unauthorized firearm, and the shooting of a Guardsman while trying to break up a fight.