War Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., to use a range of marked police vehicles, military equipment and boats, as local officials call for the deployment to end.
Two Pentagon officials said Hegseth signed a memo on Oct. 29 allowing the use of as many as 60 marked patrol cars, Humvees, other military tactical vehicles, D.C. National Guard boats, and up to 20 light towers and generators.
About 3,000 National Guard troops are currently stationed in the capital as part of President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown.
A War Department official said the authorization allows Guard personnel and resources to continue supporting the “Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful” mission. The guidance permits the equipment to be used in support of federal and local law enforcement operations.
Politico first reported the authorization. It follows Hegseth’s decision last year to allow Guard members to carry service-issued weapons when their missions require it.
The move comes as D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto, who chairs the council’s public safety committee, held a hearing Thursday on the federal law enforcement and National Guard presence.
Pinto said she was hopeful that partners at the state and congressional levels would help challenge what she called an unnecessary, harmful and unlawful military presence in the district.
She urged newly elected Democratic governors in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas to withdraw the 628 troops she said their states had sent to Washington. Pinto also called on congressional Democrats to strengthen oversight of federal law enforcement operations in January, including by requiring officers to wear identification and use body cameras.
