Pentagon says National Guard troops in Washington to begin carrying firearms as Trump targets more cities

The exact number of personnel who would carry the weapons was fluid, meaning some units on certain missions would carry arms.

By: Express Web Desk

August 25, 2025 06:54 AM IST

2 min read

Members of the South Carolina National Guard patrol Union Station, in Washington. (AP Photo)

US National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington DC at the orders of President Donald Trump in order to crack down on crime will begin carrying firearms from Sunday night onwards, escalating the military deployment in the Democratic-run city, a Defence Department official said, reported Associated Press.

The exact number of personnel who would carry the weapons was fluid, meaning some units on certain missions would carry arms. The Guards would either carry their M17 pistols or M4 rifles, according to officials quoted by Reuters.

Hundreds of National Guard troops, particularly unarmed, have been roaming on the streets of the nation’s capital for the past two weeks after President Trump declared a crime emergency in the district. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday passed the order which authorized the troops to carry weapons.

In a statement on Sunday, National Guard’s Joint Task Force-DC said their personnel would only use force “as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.”

Confirming the development, an AP photographer witnessed members of the South Carolina National Guard outside Union Station with handguns on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Trump has hinted at expanding the deployment of military to other Democratic-run cities, including Chicago and Baltimore in Maryland. Maryland Governor Wes Moore invited Trump to join him in a tour of Baltimore and the Republican president replied on Sunday that he might instead “send in the ‘troops.’”

The Baltimore Police Department in July had said there had been a double-digit reduction in gun violence compared to the previous year. The mayor said Baltimore witnessed 84 homicides so far in 2025, which is the lowest in over 50 years.

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As the Pentagon finalised its plans to deploy troops in Chicago, Democratic House of Representatives Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday said President Trump lacked authority to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago.

(with inputs from Reuters, AP)

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