Some National Guard members have started carrying their service-issued weapons around the nation’s capital.

“Starting the late evening of August 24, 2025, JTF- DC (Joint Task Force - DC) service members began carrying their service-issued weapon,” the Guard said in a statement late Sunday.

“Task force personnel operate under the established Rules for the Use of Force, which allow the use of force only as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm,” the Guard added.

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

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

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