Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized National Guardsmen mobilized in Washington D.C. to carry “service-issued weapons,” a defense official said on Friday, though the Pentagon has not specified the specific weapons the soldiers will be armed with.

The National Guardsman in Washington, D.C. “will soon be on mission with their service-issued weapons, consistent with their mission and training,” the defense official said in a statement.

The Pentagon did not offer specifics to questions from Task & Purpose on whether soldiers will be issued M4s or the service’s newly adopted M7 rifle, or if the firearms would be pistols like the M17 or M18.

No information was immediately available about what prompted the move or exactly when the National Guard troops will begin carrying their weapons.

“The D.C. National Guard remains committed to safeguarding the District of Columbia and serving those who live, work, and visit the District,” the statement said.

A member of the District of Columbia National Guard, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Task & Purpose that the move to arm Guardsmen was unnecessary.

“Us being out there is not sending a message other than clear provocation to our own populace,” the National Guard member said.

President Donald Trump announced on Aug. 11 that he had ordered 800 troops with the District of Columbia National Guard to deploy to the nation’s capital after declaring on social media the federal city would be “LIBERATED.” Trump has portrayed criminality in Washington, D.C. as widespread but violent crime in the district is at a 30-year low and dropped 35% year-over-year from 2023 to 2024, according to the Justice Department.

Since then, more than 2,000 National Guardsmen from the District of Columbia and six states have been activated as part of the operation.

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed a memo authorizing National Guard troops deployed in Washington, D.C., to carry weapons if their mission requires it.

Two U.S. defense officials stressed to Military Times that Guard leadership in the nation’s capital has not issued an order to arm Guard members, who currently remain unarmed, but that status could change in the coming days.

The memo, according to one official, was addressed to the chief of the National Guard Bureau and the Secretary of the Army.

Hegseth’s decision would allow the roughly 2,000 troops now mobilized in Washington to expand their operations, which are currently in low-crime tourist areas, to possible security patrols in neighborhoods that struggle with crime.

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Another official, speaking to Military Times on condition of anonymity, said the service would likely carry SIG Sauer M17 service pistols as opposed to longer guns. Guard members in the nation’s capital do not have law enforcement authorities.

The news comes as Trump early Friday threatened a full “federal takeover” of Washington and accused D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser of providing “inaccurate crime figures.”

“Washington, D.C. is SAFE AGAIN!” Trump wrote on his Truth social. “Mayor Muriel Bowser must immediately stop giving false and highly inaccurate crime figures, or bad things will happen, including a complete and total Federal takeover of the City! Washington D.C. will soon be great again!!!”

Bowser has shared data showing that violent crime has decreased in the city since a rise two years ago.

“We’re at a 30-year violent-crime low. We’re not satisfied. We haven’t taken our foot off the gas and we continue to look for ways to make our city safer,” Bowser said last week.

More than 800 members of the D.C. Guard have been deployed, along with about 1,200 Guard members coming from Republican-led states, including Tennessee, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia and Ohio.

In a visit to Guard personnel on Thursday, President Donald Trump suggested the military personnel would be playing a larger role in law enforcement in the city. He also suggested the troops could stay for six months or longer.

“You do the job on safety, and I’ll get this place fixed up physically, and we’re going to be so proud of it at the end of six months,” he told law enforcement and troops who had gathered to hear him speak.

Retired Maj. Gen. Randy Manner, who served as vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, told Military Times last week that the crime situation in Washington falls far short of “any emergency criteria that has ever been used” to deploy the Guard during or after his 35-year career.

The cost for a deployment of about 2,000 Guard soldiers averages around $20 million per month, Manner said, and could negatively impact readiness by taking money away from Guard drills and individual training.

The Army did not provide cost estimates for the deployment.

District of Columbia National Guard members arrive at Union Station in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 17, 2025. Guard members are positioned at key locations throughout the city to provide a visible security presence alongside law enforcement partners. (U.S. Army photo)

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized nearly 2,000 National Guard troops to carry weapons as operations expand throughout the city as part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to crack down on crime, a defense official said.

“At the direction of the Secretary of Defense, [Joint Task Force-District of Columbia] members supporting the mission to lower the crime rate in our nation’s capital will soon be on mission with their service-issued weapons, consistent with their mission and training,” a defense official said on the condition of anonymity. “The interim commanding general of the D.C. National Guard retains the authority to make any necessary force posture adjustments in coordination with the D.C. Metropolitan Police and federal law enforcement partners.”

The Pentagon did not offer more details regarding the decision.

The Army and Pentagon said last week that troops would not carry weapons. But a White House official said Monday on the condition of anonymity that “They may be armed, consistent with their mission and training.”

Trump on Thursday visited the U.S. Park Police Anacostia Operations Facility in southeast Washington, which is serving as the gathering point for all the agencies involved in the operation, thanking officers and members of the military.

During his visit, Trump suggested the troops could stay for six months or longer.

“You do the job on safety, and I’ll get this place fixed up physically, and we’re going to be so proud of it at the end of six months,” he said. “But let’s say at the end of the year, this place will be maxed out in terms of beauty. You’ll have all new surfaces. You’ll have all new medians, everything’s going to look beautiful.”

Trump told radio host Todd Starnes on Thursday that the D.C. deployment of troops was “sort of a test” and indicated his administration would copy the model in other cities throughout the United States.

As of Thursday, roughly 1,997 Army and Air Guard troops are in Washington, the Joint Task Force said in a statement. Six Republican-led states approved sending troops to Washington as part of Trump’s effort to combat crime in the city. Guard troops from Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia, Ohio and South Carolina have been arriving this week.

A Guard all-terrain vehicle involved in a car crash Wednesday has been ticketed for running a red light, The Associated Press reported.

“Our priority is ensuring the well-being of all involved. We are grateful for the response of D.C. police and EMS. Safety is our top priority. We will take action based on the investigation. This type of vehicle is authorized, and safety protocols are in place,” Army Col. Larry Doane, commander of the Joint Task Force, said in a statement to the AP.

D.C. police data indicates violent crime has decreased 26% compared to last year. The D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office also announced in January that violent crime in the city in 2024 was at a 30-year low, citing police data.

The Justice Department is investigating whether D.C. police manipulated data to make crime rates appear lower, The Washington Post reported.

Trump said Friday in a post on Truth Social that “there were no murders this week for the first time in memory.”

“Mayor Muriel Bowser must immediately stop giving false and highly inaccurate crime figures, or bad things will happen, including a complete and total federal takeover of the city,” he said. “Washington, D.C. will soon be great again!!!”

President Trump has deployed roughly 800 members of the National Guard to the nation’s capital and taken the city’s police department under federal control. Photo: Annabelle Gordon/Reuters

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., to carry weapons, the latest move in President Trump’s efforts to ramp up security in the nation’s capital, according to two defense officials.

As of Friday morning, there were over 2,000 Guard soldiers in Washington from six states—West Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee—as well as the District of Columbia, according to one of the officials.