Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the D.C. National Guard to expand its footprint in the nation's capital, signing an Oct. 29 memo that greenlights up to 60 marked patrol cars, Humvees, military tactical vehicles, D.C. National Guard maritime boat assets and up to 20 light towers and generators in support of federal and local law enforcement operations.
Two Pentagon officials confirmed the authorization to Fox News Digital. Roughly 3,000 National Guard troops are currently deployed in Washington, D.C. as part of President Donald Trump's crime crackdown, and the new fleet authorization deepens the Guard's integration with local police.
"The secretary of war has authorized the continued use of National Guard personnel and capabilities in support of the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission," a War Department official told Fox News Digital. "The October 29, 2026, guidance authorizes the use of up to 60 marked patrol cars, military tactical vehicles, up to 20 light towers and generators and D.C. National Guard maritime boat assets in support of federal and local law enforcement operations."
Politico first reported the authorization. It follows Hegseth's decision last year to allow National Guard troops to carry service-issued weapons when required by their mission — a move that already drew fire from local officials now escalating their pushback.
Council Hearing Turns Into a Demand for Withdrawal
The memo landed the same week D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto, chair of the council's public safety committee, held a hearing examining the federal law enforcement and National Guard presence in the district.
"I am very hopeful and optimistic that we now have the partners we need at the state and congressional level to push back and demand that this unnecessary, harmful and unlawful military presence be removed from the district," Pinto said during the hearing, according to Fox News Digital.
Pinto called on newly elected Democratic governors in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas to withdraw the combined 628 troops she said their states have deployed to Washington. She also urged congressional Democrats to increase oversight of federal law enforcement operations in January, including requirements for identifying badges and body cameras.
The hearing reflects a widening fight between district officials and the administration over who controls the streets of the capital. The New York Times reported that the Pentagon's decision to widen patrols came just before a landslide defeat for Republicans in the midterm elections, while the Washington Post noted that local leaders say they'll ask incoming governors to end deployments.
An Instagram post circulating the announcement carried the caption, "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the ..." — the post itself functions as a headline card for the authorization rather than a statement from any official.
What the Fleet Authorization Actually Changes
The Oct. 29 guidance puts marked patrol cars, Humvees, tactical vehicles and Guard boats on D.C. streets and waterways alongside law enforcement. It also authorizes light towers and generators — equipment typically used to illuminate checkpoints, patrol corridors or temporary operational sites.
The practical effect is that Guard personnel supporting the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission will move and operate in visibly marked vehicles rather than remaining in static or unmarked roles, and that Guard maritime assets will be available on the District's waterways. Whether that means more frequent boat patrols on the Potomac and Anacostia, or simply standby capability, the memo does not spell out.
The political effect is already visible. Pinto's hearing framed the deployment as "unnecessary, harmful and unlawful," and her request that incoming Democratic governors pull their states' troops — 628 across Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas, she said — signals that opponents intend to fight the deployment state by state and in Congress rather than only in the District.
It is not yet known whether any of those governors have responded to Pinto's request, or whether congressional Democrats will act on her call for badge-identification and body-camera requirements in January.
Our Take
Here's the tell in this story: the people screaming loudest about Humvees and patrol cars are the same people who've spent years telling Americans that crime in the capital is a myth cooked up by conservatives.
Pinto calls the Guard presence "unlawful" — but Hegseth's memo is a signed authorization from the Secretary of Defense, and the troops are supporting federal and local law enforcement, not replacing them. If the deployment were as lawless as she claims, her remedy would be a courtroom, not a press conference demanding that other states' governors pull their own troops home.
And notice the timing. The New York Times frames the fleet expansion as happening just before a Republican midterm defeat — as if the Secretary of Defense should check election returns before doing his job. The Guard doesn't patrol based on polls. Roughly 3,000 troops are in the District because President Trump promised to make D.C. safe, and the men and women in those Humvees and boats are Americans serving their country, not props in a cable news segment.
Pinto wants badge numbers and body cameras on federal officers in January. Fine — put the same scrutiny on the council members who've watched the District's crime problem fester for years and done nothing but hold hearings.
Patriots, the question is simple: do you want marked patrol cars and Guard boats backing up law enforcement in the nation's capital, or do you want the same old excuses from the same old politicians? The answer to that question is on the ballot in every city that tries this next.
