Veterans Voice Concerns Over National Guard Deployment to Washington, D.C.
A group of military veterans and families have raised alarms regarding the recent deployment of National Guard units to the nation’s capital. This move, initiated by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, has sparked debates about the legality and potential repercussions of using military forces for local law enforcement and beautification efforts.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine declared the deployment of 150 military police from the Ohio National Guard to Washington, D.C. on August 16. These troops have joined the Joint Task Force District of Columbia (JTF-DC) to participate in the initiative known as the “D.C. Safe and Beautiful Mission.”
Currently, nearly 1,900 guardsmen from seven states, including North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia, are part of the mission. This deployment aligns with President Donald Trump’s executive order issued on August 11, which declared a crime emergency in the District of Columbia.
Chris Purdy, an Army National Guard veteran and CEO of The Chamberlain Network, criticized Governor DeWine’s decision, emphasizing the importance of governors maintaining control over their respective National Guard units.
“These are the military of each state effectively,” Purdy stated. “If the president wants to federalize the National Guard, then that’s a fight he can have. For governors to go along with something they know is wrong, is a real dereliction of duty on their part.”
In response to the ongoing situation, President Trump issued a second executive order on August 25, mandating U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to ensure that each state’s Army and Air National Guard units are prepared to act as a “quick reaction force”. This order also calls for assistance to federal and local law enforcement in managing civil disturbances and maintaining public safety nationwide.
Following approximately ten days of deployment, President Trump announced a significant achievement: Washington, D.C. had experienced seven consecutive days without a homicide, and overall crime rates had decreased by more than 80 percent.
However, Dan Maurer, an Army veteran and associate professor at Ohio Northern University College of Law, argued that the federalization of National Guard troops for states violates The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. This law restricts military involvement in civilian affairs unless extraordinary circumstances arise, such as invoking the Insurrection Act.
“Assuming the crime rate is statistically lower than it was a week ago – and that you can attribute it to the National Guard – the end is justifying the means and that’s not what the law says,” Maurer explained. “The law prohibits the use of the military even if it’s sufficient, even if it’s successful, unless certain conditions exist that warrant it.”
Additionally, Ohio veterans have voiced concerns about how the deployment of the Ohio National Guard might affect community trust in military personnel. Retired Army Brig. Gen. Christopher Dziubek shared his experiences, highlighting the challenges military members face in establishing trust within civilian communities when placed in law enforcement roles.
“Police are hampered when they put on a uniform in a deployed environment and try to exercise those same skillsets to gain the trust of a indigenous population, in a place where the Army has been for combat operations,” Dziubek stated.
Navy veteran Kenneth Harbaugh expressed worries about the politicization of service members as National Guard troops, law enforcement, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel operate together in Washington, D.C.
“I think it should be abundantly clear that National Guard troops are not covering their faces, they are not ashamed of serving in uniform,” Harbaugh remarked. “But they are being associated unfairly with other government organizations – levers of power – that are not behaving as professionally. Connecting the National Guard to that is one more step towards politicization of the military and betraying the trust that we have – for so long – held dearly between the military and the society it exists to protect.”
The JTF-DC recently issued a press release announcing that U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard III, interim commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, authorized guard members supporting JTF-DC to carry their service-issued weapons “after careful consideration of the security environment.”
“This decision is not something taken lightly,” Blanchard commented. “We are in coordination with our law enforcement partners and all appropriate review processes are in place.”