National Guard to remain in nation's capital through 2026
Federalized National Guard troops will remain deployed in Washington, D.C., through the end of the year, according to two officials.
About 2,400 Guard members are currently stationed in the District, the officials said. With the exception of troops from D.C. itself, the forces have been drawn from Republican-led states, including Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and Ohio.
The Guard's mission, called "Make DC Safe and Beautiful," started in August as part of a wider effort by President Donald Trump to surge military forces into American cities for law enforcement duties.
Troops were eventually withdrawn from cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the president lacked sufficient justification for those deployments.
The president’s authority is broader in Washington, however, where the National Guard operates under a different legal framework.
Troops have been patrolling relatively safe parts of the capital, including Metro stations in the downtown area, Chinatown and the National Mall.
Guardsmen on patrol are armed with M17 pistols or M4 rifles. Troops have also been assigned routine civic tasks, including collecting trash, landscaping public areas and removing graffiti.
One of the sources noted the mission's length can be easily shortened if the president changes his mind on the deployment.
In recent years, Guard units have been increasingly relied upon for domestic missions, even as they continue to shoulder overseas commitments in places such as Syria and across Africa, while also participating in major training exercises in the Pacific to deter China.
The move comes after two West Virginia guardsmen were shot near the White House in November.
Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically wounded but survived a gunshot wound to the head.
The extended Guard deployment was first reported by CNN.
