{"id":39434,"date":"2026-08-11T22:24:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T17:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=39434"},"modified":"2026-08-11T22:24:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T17:24:14","slug":"a-year-into-trumps-unprecedented-deployment-national-guard-is-entrenched-in-dc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=39434","title":{"rendered":"A year into Trump\u2019s unprecedented deployment, National Guard is entrenched in DC"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">On Aug. 3 last year, the <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/19-year-former-doge-worker-assaulted-dc-carjacking\/story?id=124406722\" dir=\"ltr\">assault and attempted carjacking of Edward Coristine<\/a>, a 20-year-old programmer known online as \u201cBig Balls\u201d who had worked for Elon Musk\u2019s now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency, became a flashpoint for President Donald Trump\u2019s argument that Washington, D.C., had spiraled out of control.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Eight days later, Trump mobilized roughly 800 National Guard troops to the capital, an extraordinary use of military personnel on U.S. soil. He cast the deployment in dire terms, describing a city overwhelmed by violence and disorder and promising that federal intervention would restore control, even as <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-dc\/pr\/violent-crime-dc-hits-30-year-low\" dir=\"ltr\"><u class=\" \">violent crime in Washington had fallen to its lowest level in 30 years<\/u><\/a>, according to the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The deployment, dubbed \u201cMake DC Safe and Beautiful,\u201d quickly expanded. Some 4,000 troops from states and territories across the country are now deployed to the capital, down from a summer surge for America&#8217;s 250th anniversary that pushed the force to roughly 5,000. That number is expected to decline further in the coming weeks, with the mission typically hovering between 2,500 and 3,000 troops.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur gIjeL \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/92c4100e-9288-4559-aceb-023291d8fa1f\/national-1-ap-er-260810_1786382823829_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/92c4100e-9288-4559-aceb-023291d8fa1f\/national-1-ap-er-260810_1786382823829_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/92c4100e-9288-4559-aceb-023291d8fa1f\/national-1-ap-er-260810_1786382823829_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/92c4100e-9288-4559-aceb-023291d8fa1f\/national-1-ap-er-260810_1786382823829_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/92c4100e-9288-4559-aceb-023291d8fa1f\/national-1-ap-er-260810_1786382823829_hpMain.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Armed National Guard soldiers from West Virginia patrol the Mall near the Capitol in Washington, as part of President Donald Trump&#8217;s order to impose federal law enforcement in the nation&#8217;s capital, Aug. 26, 2025.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">J. Scott Applewhite\/AP, FILE<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">But even as the force shrinks from its summer peak, the deployment is expected to <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/pentagon-plans-national-guard-dc-2029-2-us\/story?id=131234530\" dir=\"ltr\">remain a fixture in D.C.<\/a> through the remainder of Trump\u2019s term, ABC News was first to report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The mission is unprecedented in its scale and duration. The deployment is projected to cost an additional $1.4 billion, a staggering price tag even as its effectiveness remains murky. Two soldiers were also killed in an attack near the White House last year. Meanwhile, the<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->Guard<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->is juggling competing demands, with thousands of troops deployed to the Middle East amid the war with Iran and others serving on missions around the world.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"vPZug ZqdKL xcLAU bunQU uhXXI PjNjV lNbol LBPRq \">A departure in deploying the Guard<\/h3>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The sustained presence represents a sharp departure from how presidents have historically used military forces at home. Domestic deployments have generally been reserved<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->for relatively brief moments of extraordinary unrest, major security threats or natural disasters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">In 1794, President George Washington led a force of roughly 13,000 militiamen from Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion. More recently, roughly 20,000 National Guard troops poured into Washington, D.C., following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, when a mob sought to keep Trump in power after his 2020 election loss.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The Guard is also routinely called up for natural disasters and major public events, largely because it can quickly provide thousands of personnel for basic but labor-intensive tasks such as clearing debris after a hurricane, distributing food and water or helping manage crowds and traffic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Washington was initially only one piece of a broader push by the administration to deploy troops to American cities. Forces were also sent to Los Angeles and Chicago, though those missions became tied up in legal challenges and troops were eventually withdrawn. The president has substantially broader authority in Washington, D.C., where the National Guard operates under a unique legal framework and ultimately answers to the president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">But the Guard is principally built and trained to fight wars abroad. Today, some 15,000 guardsmen are deployed overseas, according to service data, including thousands in the Middle East amid the ongoing war with Iran. Guard units are also serving across Africa and regularly participate in major exercises in the Pacific aimed at preparing for a potential conflict with China.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">At the same time, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, governors and presidents have increasingly turned to the Guard for missions at home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, the interim commander of the D.C. National Guard, told reporters that units deployed to D.C. continue to carve out time for military training, including marksmanship and medical care, and in some cases may train more frequently than they otherwise would. Some of that training, he said, can also complement the skills troops use on the mission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">In Washington, the National<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->Guard<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->has settled into what is becoming a lengthy deployment, even as the troops carrying out the mission rotate with relative regularity. Much of their time is spent patrolling tourist corridors and downtown transit hubs, areas where crime is generally low. Blanchard says putting<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->guardsmen in those relatively safe areas allows local police to concentrate more officers in parts of the city where crime is higher.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">But sustaining that rotation has presented its own challenges. The<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->Guard<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->at times has struggled to find fresh units for the mission, according to people familiar with the situation, in part because Democratic-led states have been reluctant to participate in a deployment strictly associated with the Trump administration.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">That effectively takes a large portion of the National<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->Guard<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->off the table, narrowing the pool of available units at a time when the force is also balancing deployments and other commitments overseas. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer threatened to<!-- -->\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.com%2FUS%2Fwhitmer-shell-pull-michigan-national-guard-dc-theyre%2Fstory%3Fid%3D134336473&amp;data=05%7C02%7CJohn.Helton%40abc.com%7Ca564ba7d91d84557c47208def716f527%7C56b731a8a2ac4c32bf6b616810e913c6%7C1%7C0%7C639219875147082460%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=i%2Feh4FJEB%2BVTmbCicCZIV%2FWlTsi1qjj%2Fv%2BSq%2Bn0r4Fg%3D&amp;reserved=0\" dir=\"ltr\"><u class=\" \">pull her troops from D.C.<\/u><u class=\" \">\u00a0<\/u><\/a>who were there supporting July 4th events in the city if they were used for Trump\u2019s broader security mission, though in practice, detangling the two is virtually impossible.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur gIjeL \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/0be885c9-202b-4a1b-a709-9d3017fe4a85\/national-2-gty-er-260810_1786383083645_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/0be885c9-202b-4a1b-a709-9d3017fe4a85\/national-2-gty-er-260810_1786383083645_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/0be885c9-202b-4a1b-a709-9d3017fe4a85\/national-2-gty-er-260810_1786383083645_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/0be885c9-202b-4a1b-a709-9d3017fe4a85\/national-2-gty-er-260810_1786383083645_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/0be885c9-202b-4a1b-a709-9d3017fe4a85\/national-2-gty-er-260810_1786383083645_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Members of the National Guard pause to look at the statue of former President Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial at sunrise on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., July 23, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Kent Nishimura\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Blanchard told reporters that guardsmen have responded to some 800 medical emergencies, including administering Narcan 325 times as well as ancillary things like reuniting lost children with their parents, but the administration has not provided a clear accounting of whether those services could still have been done with civil workers or police officers.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cIf you actually want to improve public safety in the District of Columbia, give the District of Columbia Police Department $100 million to go hire competent, qualified, appropriately trained police,\u201d Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cDon&#8217;t drag these poor men and women from around the country who have no idea what they&#8217;re doing in D.C. and, most of them, are not trained for policing anyway, to stand here and wander around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">An analysis from the Niskanen Center estimated the government spends roughly $607 per Guardsman each day, compared with about $384 for a D.C. police officer. The group found no reduction in violent crime attributable to the Guard deployment, though its presence coincided with a decline in property crime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Guard units have slowly begun expanding into less visible parts of the capital where crime is more prevalent, a shift that could accelerate as the deployment enters its second year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cWe want to get after that and continue to expand the mission,\u201d Blanchard told ABC News.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"vPZug ZqdKL xcLAU bunQU uhXXI PjNjV lNbol LBPRq \">A $1.4 billion price tag<\/h3>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The Pentagon is also making increasingly long-term arrangements for the troops. The Trump administration recently signed a $292 million contract to move Guard members into apartments around the region, replacing the costly hotels where troops have been housed at government expense. Blanchard said the move is expected to save roughly $90 million through 2029.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">But keeping the Guard in Washington, D.C., through the remainder of Trump\u2019s term will still come with a hefty price tag. The deployment is <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/national-guard-deployment-dc-cost-14-billion-trumps\/story?id=135366257\" dir=\"ltr\">projected to cost an additional $1.4 billion through 2029<\/a>, according to Pentagon information provided to Congress and reviewed by ABC News.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The figure serves as the first public accounting from the administration on the mission\u2019s cost, but it&#8217;s unclear what the mission has cost up to this point. Previously, the Congressional Budget Office estimated its deployment in D.C. costs about $55 million per month, accounting for just under 3,000 troops.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The troops sent to D.C. have overwhelmingly come from Republican-led states. Just under 700 members of the D.C. National Guard are currently serving on the mission, according to Guard data, leaving most of the force to be supplied by governors elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">South Carolina has kept troops in the capital for virtually the entire year and currently has nearly 500 there. Georgia has roughly 800 Guardsmen deployed and Florida nearly 400. Louisiana, West Virginia and Mississippi are among the other Republican-led states that have maintained a sustained presence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cSouth Carolina has a long history of answering the call when our country needs our National Guard,\u201d South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, said in a statement to ABC News. \u201cThey represent our state with professionalism and dedication, and we know they will continue to do so wherever they are called to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"vPZug ZqdKL xcLAU bunQU uhXXI PjNjV lNbol LBPRq \">High stakes for a lengthy mission<\/h3>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">From the beginning, Army leaders were acutely aware that the political stakes of the deployment extended well beyond what troops were actually being asked to do.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur gIjeL \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/058ac0a1-5f3f-4b11-ba4d-5f07e2e6e569\/national-3-gty-er-260810_1786383215908_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/058ac0a1-5f3f-4b11-ba4d-5f07e2e6e569\/national-3-gty-er-260810_1786383215908_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/058ac0a1-5f3f-4b11-ba4d-5f07e2e6e569\/national-3-gty-er-260810_1786383215908_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/058ac0a1-5f3f-4b11-ba4d-5f07e2e6e569\/national-3-gty-er-260810_1786383215908_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/058ac0a1-5f3f-4b11-ba4d-5f07e2e6e569\/national-3-gty-er-260810_1786383215908_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Members of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers respond to a shooting near the White House, Nov. 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was on vacation when the mission began and hurried back to Washington as troops mobilized. Officials familiar with the discussions said optics quickly became a major concern. Commanders understood that virtually any encounter involving a guardsman could be filmed and turned into a national controversy, potentially damaging an institution that continues to enjoy broad public confidence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">In 1970, Ohio National Guard members of the 1st Battalion, 145th Infantry Regiment, and 2nd Squadron, 107th Cavalry Regiment, opened fire into a crowd at Kent State University, killing four unarmed students and wounding nine others during protests against President Richard Nixon\u2019s expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The killings became an enduring cautionary tale about putting troops in direct contact with Americans exercising their right to protest and further inflamed antiwar sentiment at a time when the military was already struggling to attract its next generation of officers. Reserve Officers&#8217; Training Corps (ROTC) enrollment plunged in the early 1970s, leaving the Pentagon with far fewer prospective officers than it needed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">But officials explained they did not need to imagine another Kent State to understand the risks in Washington. Driscoll and others involved in the mission worried that something far less dramatic could derail it, such as an accidental weapon discharge, an isolated confrontation with a protester or a guardsman caught on camera behaving poorly. Until the U.S. and Israel launched the war with Iran in February, the Guard\u2019s presence in D.C. was the Pentagon\u2019s highest-profile mission.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">For most of the past year, those fears have not materialized. The mission\u2019s most serious episode instead came in November, when two West Virginia National Guard members were shot just blocks from the White House.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically wounded and is still recovering, according to his family.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 30-year-old Afghan national accused in the attack, has pleaded not guilty. The Justice Department said in June that it was determining whether to seek the death penalty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Aug. 3 last year, the assault and attempted carjacking of Edward Coristine, a 20-year-old programmer known online as \u201cBig Balls\u201d who had worked for Elon Musk\u2019s now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency, became a flashpoint for President Donald Trump\u2019s argument that Washington, D.C., had spiraled out of control. Eight days later, Trump mobilized roughly 800&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39435,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/92c4100e-9288-4559-aceb-023291d8fa1f\/national-1-ap-er-260810_1786382823829_hpMain_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abc-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39434"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39434\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/39435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}