Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized almost 2,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen to carry weapons in Washington, D.C., if their mission requires it. This authorization comes as the Trump administration intensifies its crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital, a mobilization effort that President Donald Trump has been personally involved in.
A United States defense official confirmed the authorization to Fox News, stating that “At the direction of the Secretary of Defense, JTF-DC members supporting the mission to lower the crime rate in our nation’s capital will soon be on mission with their service-issued weapons, consistent with their mission and training.”
