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War Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., to use dozens of marked police cars, military vehicles and boats as local officials demand an end to the deployment.
Two Pentagon officials confirmed to Fox News Digital that Hegseth signed an Oct. 29 memo authorizing up to 60 marked patrol cars, Humvees, military tactical vehicles, D.C. National Guard boats and up to 20 light towers and generators.
Roughly 3,000 National Guard troops are currently deployed in the nation’s capital as part of President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown.
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Military Police Soldiers from the National Guard stand guard by Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles parked next to Washington, D.C., on Thursday, August 14, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Peter Pinedo)
“The Secretary of War has authorized the continued use of National Guard personnel and capabilities in support of the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission,” a War Department told Fox News Digital.
“The October 29, 2026, guidance authorizes the use of up to 60 marked patrol cars, military tactical vehicles, up to 20 light towers and generators, and D.C. National Guard maritime boat assets in support of federal and local law enforcement operations.”
The statement came from a War Department official. Politico first reported the authorization, which follows Hegseth’s decision last year to allow National Guard troops to carry service-issued weapons when required by their mission.
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US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2026 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, DC on October 14, 2026. The AUSA Meeting and Exposition is a defense trade show and networking event for the global defense community. (Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)
The move comes as D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto, chair of the council’s public safety committee, held a Thursday hearing examining the federal law enforcement and National Guard presence.
“I am very hopeful and optimistic that we now have the partners we need at the state and congressional level to push back and demand that this unnecessary, harmful, and unlawful military presence be removed from the district,” she said during the hearing.
Pinto made the remarks during the hearing, calling on newly elected Democratic governors in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas to withdraw the combined 628 troops she said their states have deployed to Washington.
National Guard vehicles seen stationed in Washington D.C., on Tuesday amid the Trump administrations surge to combat crime in the capital. (WTTG)
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Pinto also urged congressional Democrats to increase oversight of federal law enforcement operations in January, including requirements for identifying badges and body cameras.