Veterans Demand Reasoning for Hegseth’s Decision to Arm National Guards Members Patrolling DC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC – This morning, according to the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unexpectedly ordered National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington for President Donald Trump’s law enforcement crackdown to start carrying firearms. This decision comes after the Army and Pentagon originally stated last week that the troops would not be armed.
In response to this reversal in policy, Naveed Shah, Common Defense’s Political Director and Army Vet, had this to say:
In response to this reversal in policy, Naveed Shah, Common Defense’s Political Director and Army Vet, had this to say:
“This gutless, slapdash decision to arm National Guardsmen currently patrolling Washington, D.C., without incident, is a dangerous and alarming escalation. No rationale has been given for confronting American citizens with Army firepower, and the public deserves to know why. National Guard troops are not trained or equipped for police work or crowd control, and placing them in this role while armed potentially compromises public safety and trust while also heightening the risk of unnecessary violence.
"There's absolutely no reason for this escalation. Our soldiers aren't trained for police work or crowd control, and deploying them as armed enforcers risks turning peaceful neighborhoods into battlegrounds, eroding civil liberties and endangering lives.”
Common Defense is calling on the Trump administration and the Pentagon to immediately clarify the reasoning for this order, and to reverse course on this reckless decision before it leads to tragedy.
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Common Defense Civic Engagement is a grassroots, veteran-led organization (501c4) that was founded in 2016. We empower veterans to stand up for our communities against the rising tide of racism, hate, and violence, to organize against the entrenched powers that have rigged our economy, and to champion an equitable and representative democracy, where “liberty and justice” truly is for all. For too long, politicians from both political parties have attempted to use veterans as unwilling political props, and Common Defense serves as a home for veterans to organize and speak for themselves and support the candidates who truly share our values.