President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order creating specialized D.C. National Guard units for “public safety and order.”
The order further directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “ensure state National Guards are similarly trained and ready to assist in quelling civil disturbances nationwide,” according to a White House fact sheet.
Additionally, Hegseth “will ensure the availability of a National Guard quick reaction force for rapid nationwide deployment when circumstances warrant.”
Last week, Hegseth authorized National Guardsmen deployed in Washington, D.C., to start carrying weapons. A spokesperson for the Joint Task Force carrying out the mission told CNN that the National Guardsmen began carrying sidearms on Sunday.
Trump suggested Monday that he would ask Congress to codify the executive order, saying, “I think Democrats will actually vote for this.”
The order also directs the National Park Service to hire additional U.S. Park Police officers to support public safety in D.C., and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. to hire additional prosecutors to focus on violent and property crimes.
