Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered National Guard troops patrolling Washington during President Donald Trump's law enforcement crackdown to be armed. The Pentagon provided no immediate additional details or explanation for the decision. Nearly 2,000 National Guard members are stationed in the city, with hundreds arriving this week from several Republican-led states. The move contrasts with prior Pentagon and Army statements that troops would not carry weapons. City officials had been informed of the intent, according to a person familiar with the conversations who spoke anonymously. AP writer Anna Johnson contributed to the report.
WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered that National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington for President Donald Trump's law enforcement crackdown will be armed, the Pentagon said Friday. The Defense Department didn't immediately offer any other details about the new development or why it was needed. The step is a escalation in Trump's intervention into policing in the nation's capital and comes as nearly 2,000 National Guard members are stationed in the city, with the arrival this week of hundreds of troops from several Republican-led states.
The Pentagon and Army said last week that troops would not carry weapons. The city had been informed about the intent for the National Guard to be armed, a person familiar with the conversations said earlier this week. The person was not authorized to disclose the plans and spoke on the condition of anonymity. ___ AP writer Anna Johnson contributed to this report. Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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