800 National Guard mobilised for DC mission: Pentagon
The Pentagon says all 800 Army and Air National Guardsmen are mobilised and are now in the US capital. Photo: Reuters
All 800 National Guard troops who were ordered to the US capital Washington to aid law enforcement personnel by US President Donald Trump have now been mobilised, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
Trump ordered the deployment -- which follows a similar move during protests in Los Angeles in June -- as part of what he billed as a crackdown on crime in the capital, where violent offences are in fact down.
"As of today, all 800 Army and Air National Guardsmen are mobilised... as part of Joint Task Force DC, and they are now here in our capital," Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told journalists.
They "will assist the DC Metropolitan Police Department and federal law enforcement partners with monument security, community safety patrols, protecting federal facilities and officers" and traffic control posts, Wilson said.
The troops "will remain until law and order has been restored in the District, as determined by the president," she added.
Trump announced the National Guard deployment -- along with a federal takeover of the city's police department -- on Monday, vowing "to take our capital back."
The overwhelmingly Democratic US capital faces allegations from Republican politicians that it is overrun by crime, plagued by homelessness and financially mismanaged.
However, data from Washington police shows significant drops in violent crime between 2023 and 2024, although that was coming off the back of a post-pandemic surge.
The deployment of troops in Washington comes after Trump dispatched the National Guard and Marines to quell unrest in Los Angeles, California, that was spurred by immigration enforcement raids.
It was the first time since 1965 that a US president deployed the National Guard against the wishes of a state governor.
Most National Guard forces answer to state governors and have to be "federalised" to be brought under presidential control, but in Washington these troops already report only to the US president. (AFP)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Standard
36 minutes ago
- The Standard
D.C. police chief remains in command under deal with Trump administration
Police detain a person in the Brightwood neighborhood after U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of the federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department under the Home Rule Act and the deployment of the National Guard to assist in crime prevention in the nation's capital, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 14, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
The Standard
an hour ago
- The Standard
Russian politicians hail Alaska summit as victory for Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin walks after a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 15, 2025. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Who gains most from Trump's retirement fund reforms?
Earlier this month, the White House announced that US President Donald Trump had signed an executive order 'to allow 401(k) investors to access alternative assets for better returns and diversification'. Aside from perhaps property tycoons and tech barons, few have reason to applaud this move, which allows retirement fund investors to access risky financial assets such as cryptocurrencies and real estate. Setting aside for a moment the fact that Trump or members of his family have vested interests in some of these asset classes, Trump's apparent contempt for prudential regulation threatens to put trillions of dollars of pension fund assets at risk just at a time when they are badly needed for more responsible forms of investment. Already, pension funds are invested in arguably overvalued tech stocks, which dominate US and other stock markets. Such investments have the power to topple markets. Adding further risk to this shaky structure at a time when underfunded areas such as the fight against global warming , inadequate infrastructure and health services are crying out for investment seems irresponsible, to say the least. In the US, 401(k) plans are portable schemes where contributions, instead of benefits, are defined in advance. In theory, investors have the right to assume their savings are being deployed wisely and safely. A 401(k) is a deferred arrangement. Employees can elect to defer receiving a portion of their salary, which is instead contributed on their behalf, before taxes, to their 401(k) plan. Sometimes employers match these contributions.
