Security measures in Washington DC are being augmented, with National Guard members set to carry firearms, according to a military announcement.

In a notable development, President Donald Trump has requested the deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, authorising them to carry their service-issued weapons. This decision was made in the past week before late August 2025.

Initially, Trump called up 800 members of the District of Columbia National Guard. However, the number has since grown significantly, with hundreds of troops from several Republican-led states arriving in the city this week, bringing the total to nearly 2,000.

The Pentagon and the Army have revised their guidance, allowing National Guard troops to be armed. Despite this, the National Guard troops have not been involved in law enforcement activities.

Trump has suggested that he could prolong the deployment of troops and federal agents in Washington. His intervention, he claims, has made the city safer than ever. However, the city's police department, Mayor Muriel Bowser's office, and Attorney General Brian Schwalb did not respond to requests for comment regarding the armed National Guard.

Spokespeople for the District of Columbia National Guard and the military task force overseeing all the guard troops in Washington also did not respond to messages seeking comment.

In other news, Trump has pledged to improve the appearance of Washington, including resurfacing roads and sprucing up streetlights, at a cost of $2 billion. He has previously expressed a desire to make the city resemble one of his golf courses.

Associated Press writers Matthew Brown, Ashraf Khalil, and Anna Johnson contributed to this report.

Security measures in Washington DC are being augmented, with National Guard members set to carry firearms, according to a military announcement.