President Donald Trump issued an executive order Monday establishing a “specialized unit” of the National Guard to address crime in Washington DC and other US cities “whenever the circumstances necessitate…where public safety and order has been lost.”

The order enables the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to deploy the National Guard, subject to Title 32 of the US Code , to cities as needed for “quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety and order.” Hegseth will have the ability to outfit the National Guard to be “resourced, trained, organized, and available to assist Federal, State, and local law enforcement.”

Under Title 32, the National Guard can be deployed around the US for similar reasons outlined in the executive order, usually at the request of state gover

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