Defense Secretary PHPete Hegseth authorized 2,200+ National Guard troops to carry M17 pistols and M4 rifles for civilian law enforcement duties starting August 24, 2025, marking unprecedented peacetime military policing of American cities.

More than 1,300 troops deployed from Republican-controlled states including ⛰️West Virginia (Jim Justice), 🌴South Carolina (HMHenry McMaster), 🎸Mississippi (TRTate Reeves), 🌰Ohio (Mike DeWine), 🎺Louisiana, and 🎸Tennessee to support Trump 🏛️D.C. takeover.

Trump federalized 🏛️D.C. Metropolitan Police on August 11, 2025, placing local police under direct federal control for first time since post-9/11 emergency measures, eliminating local democratic accountability over law enforcement.

Armed military deployment operates under Title 32 status allowing troops to remain under state control while receiving federal funding, creating legal loophole that bypasses Posse Comitatus Act prohibitions on military domestic law enforcement.

Trump explicitly describes 🏛️D.C. as test case for expanding armed National Guard deployments to Democratic cities including Chicago, Baltimore, and other urban areas he politically targets for federal intervention.

National Guard troops patrol National Mall, Metro stations, and lower-crime tourist areas rather than high-crime neighborhoods, suggesting political theater rather than genuine crime reduction strategy.

Deployment violates historical precedent limiting military domestic policing to natural disasters, civil unrest, or governor requests rather than blanket federal crime enforcement in peacetime.

Legal experts warn armed military conducting civilian arrests and searches violates Posse Comitatus Act provisions designed to prevent military occupation like Reconstruction-era abuses in Southern states.