National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., will now carry weapons for personal protection and are allowed to carry out law enforcement duties, defense officials said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered National Guard members patrolling the streets of Washington, DC, to begin carrying their service weapons as they fulfill President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown in the nation’s capital,

President Trump’s military presence in Washington, DC continues to escalate, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirming that National Guard troops deployed in the capitol will now be armed and authorized to carry out local law enforcement duties.