Pentagon plans to keep National Guard in DC into 2029, 2 US officials say
The Pentagon is planning to maintain the National Guard's federal mission in Washington, D.C., until Jan. 20, 2029, through the rest of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to two U.S. officials.
The plan is in its final stages and just requires Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's final approval.
Both officials said they expect Hegseth to sign the plan, which was finalized late last year, as Trump has repeatedly characterized the Guard's mission in D.C. as an enormous success.
"There are no announcements to make at this time,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement to ABC News, adding that the Defense Department is "committed to supporting the President's mission to address the epidemic of crime in our Nation's capital."
Some 2,865 National Guard troops are currently deployed in D.C., according to National Guard data, all drawn from Republican-led states with the exception of local D.C. Guard units.
The force includes contingents from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Oklahoma, with units rotating in and out of the District on staggered timelines. Some troops have maintained a near-continuous presence since last summer, while others -- particularly those from out of state -- cycle through on shorter deployments, one of the officials noted.
The National Guard's mission, dubbed "Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful," launched in August as part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to flood U.S. cities with guardsmen to assist law enforcement, a move that quickly drew legal and political scrutiny.
Troops were ultimately pulled back from cities like Los Angeles and Chicago after the U.S. Supreme Court determined the administration lacked sufficient justification for the deployments. But in Washington, the Guard operates under a distinct framework that grants the president broader latitude.
Guard troops have been a visible presence in the city's relatively safe corridors, patrolling Metro rail stations, downtown D.C. and the National Mall. Most are armed with M17 pistols or M4 rifles.
Guardsmen are also carrying out civic duties like picking up trash, tending to landscaping and scrubbing graffiti.
The deployment comes as the Guard balances competing demands at home and abroad. Units remain stretched across the Middle East amid the war with Iran.
Three airmen from the Ohio Air National Guard's 121st Air Refueling Wing were among six crew members killed on March 12 when their KC-135 Stratotanker crashed in western Iraq.
In November, two members of the Guard from West Virginia were shot the day before Thanksgiving while patrolling in Washington. Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died of her injuries, while Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe suffered a gunshot wound to the head and is recovering.
