The United States National Guard began carrying service-issued weapons in Washington, DC starting the late evening of August 24, 2025. Over 2,200 soldiers have been assigned to Joint Task Force-DC, with some units armed for specific missions and others, such as transportation and administration personnel, likely unarmed. Troops are authorized to use force only as a last resort and solely in response to imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm. The deployment is part of efforts to impose federal measures on crime in Democrat-led cities, despite federal data showing DC violent crime at a 30-year low and local officials protesting the move. President Trump also threatened similar deployment to Baltimore.
"Starting the late evening of August 24, 2025, JTF-DC service members began carrying their service-issued weapon," the Joint Task Force-DC said in a statement. Over 2,200 soldiers have been assigned to the task force in Washington DC. The statement said the troops were only allowed to use force "as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm."
The deploment is part of Trump's efforts to override local law enforcement agencies and government bodies to implement his orders on tackling crime in Democrat-led cities. He earlier called the crackdown "Liberation Day," claiming the city needed rescuing from "crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor." However, federal data contradicts Trump's claim, with statistics showing that DC's violent crime is at a 30-year low.
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