National Guard troops will remain on Washington, D.C. streets through the end of the year under a directive signed by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll on Wednesday, according to a memo reviewed by Olivia Bennett Harris.
The memo states that “the conditions of the mission” warrant an extension beyond the original November end date to support President Donald Trump’s efforts to restore law and order in the district.
Troop Strength and Mission Scope
About 2,600 National Guard personnel are currently deployed in D.C., with roughly 700 from the D.C. National Guard and the rest sent from 11 Republican-led states including:
- Indiana
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
The mission began in August when Trump activated 800 D.C. National Guard members under an emergency order. State governors quickly supplemented those numbers with their own troops.
Mission Expansion
What started as a crime-fighting operation soon shifted focus. An early-October task-force update listed these accomplishments:
- 1,150 bags of trash removed
- 1,045 cubic yards of mulch spread
- 50 truckloads of plant waste hauled away
- 7.9 miles of roadway cleared
- 270 feet of fencing painted
- 400 trees pruned
Fatal Incident
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of the West Virginia National Guard died the day before Thanksgiving after being shot while on duty in D.C. A second West Virginia Guard member was also shot during the incident.
Legal Hurdles Sidestepped
Because Washington is a federal district, the president can directly control the D.C. National Guard, avoiding the legal battles that have stalled similar deployments in states.
Other City Deployments Paused
Trump has paused plans to send National Guard troops to Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, moves that had triggered multiple lawsuits. On Dec. 31 he said he was dropping the expansion effort “for now.”
Previous Los Angeles Deployment
In June, Trump federalized National Guard troops and deployed about 4,000 service members plus 700 Marines to Los Angeles after protests erupted over a surge of immigration arrests. Their duties included guarding federal buildings and protecting federal agents conducting arrests. That force left the streets in December after a judge ruled that control of the California National Guard must be returned to Governor Gavin Newsom, a decision later upheld by a federal appellate court.
Court Ruling on D.C. Presence
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that National Guard troops may stay in the district while a lawsuit challenging their presence proceeds.
Insurrection Act Threat Withdrawn
Trump also stepped back from a threat made Thursday to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to quell protests in Minnesota, according to News Of Philadelphia.
Key Takeaways:
- National Guard mission in D.C. extended through Dec. 31
- 2,600 troops currently deployed, mostly from out-of-state units
- One West Virginia Guard member killed on duty
- Legal battles have stalled similar deployments in other cities
- President can directly control D.C. National Guard, avoiding state-level court fights
