The Pentagon said Tuesday that every National Guard troop deployed to Washington, D.C., will now be equipped with live weapons, and has begun conducting joint patrols with local police departments.
“I can confirm that everyone in D.C. is now armed, and many of our D.C. National Guardsmen are now conducting joint patrols with members of the police department here in D.C.,” department press secretary Kingsley Wilson said at a press conference.
The directive comes after last week’s ambush and shooting of two Guard members near the White House, an incident that prompted the Trump administration to order hundreds of additional troops to the city. One of the National Guard members has died from his injuries.
The Washington Post first obtained an email last week about joint patrols with the city’s Metropolitan Police Department.
Wilson framed the expanded military role as a response to the “immediate danger” facing American cities. “Our mission set is critical,” Wilson said. “We are securing American cities across the country, and we will remain committed to that. These missions are not going to stop in Chicago, Los Angeles, DC.”
The move to arm all 2,375 estimated troops currently in the capital – with an additional 500 ordered last week – marks a significant change in the rules of engagement for domestic military deployments.
Although all Army National Guard soldiers complete basic combat training, including competency with a standard-issue rifle and sidearm, their ongoing weapons proficiency and tactical training varies widely depending on their military occupational specialty. The Guard is organized into “combat-weapons”, “combat support”, and “combat service support” units, and many Guard units perform in a support role, making carrying live weapons for domestic use an obvious risk for potential escalation.
The increase comes as a recent order outlawing the deployment of the National Guard in Washington DC has been put on hold until the Trump administration’s appeal is considered.
The Joint Task Force in DC, which oversees the National Guard deployment in the capital, told the Guardian: “Each service member is trained and qualified on their assigned weapon according to Department of War standards.”
“National Guard members supporting this mission are equipped with their assigned duty weapons through August 2025 in support of civilian authorities and at the request of the lead federal agency,” a JTF-DC spokesperson said. “Their posture is consistent with the requirements of their mission, the established rules for the use of force, and the training each Guardsman receives to perform their duties safely and professionally.”
While Wilson emphasized that “security, of course, is top of mind,” the rapid arming of all reserves in D.C. for street-level policing raises questions about the training and readiness of civilians to join law enforcement.
The shooting last Wednesday near the Farragut West Metro station, just a short distance from the White House, resulted in the death of 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom. The other Guard member, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.
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The suspect, identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was also shot during the incident and is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries and now faces upgraded first-degree murder charges. Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who served in Afghanistan’s CIA-backed Army Zero Unit, entered the US in 2021 following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan under Operation Ally’s Welcome.
The Trump administration has seized on Lakanwal’s ethnic background to launch a sweeping review of immigration policies. In the hours following the shooting, US Citizenship and Immigration Services indefinitely suspended processing of immigration requests for Afghan citizens. DHS has since said it is expanding its review to include all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration, though it is unclear whether it targets specific nationalities beyond Afghanistan.
The military deployment in Washington has remained in the capital since August, when the Trump administration declared a “crime emergency” in an executive order.
“The National Guard is proud to step up alongside our law enforcement partners,” Wilson said Tuesday.
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