Arming the National Guard in the Streets of Washington by Order of Trump and the Pentagon

The U.S. Department of Defense (the Pentagon) announced yesterday, Friday, that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued directives to arm the National Guard forces deployed in the streets of the capital, Washington, in an escalatory step within a broad security campaign supported by U.S. President Donald Trump.

This decision comes at a time when there is a heavy presence of National Guard troops in downtown Washington, with their numbers reaching about 2,000 personnel, including hundreds who arrived this week from states led by Republican governors, in response to a direct request from President Trump.

The beginning was the calling up of 800 National Guard soldiers from the District of Columbia to assist in enforcing federal law, as part of a presidential effort to combat crime and reduce the number of homeless in the capital.

According to the statement issued by the Pentagon, National Guard personnel who previously did not carry weapons will now be allowed to carry their official weapons while performing their duties, after their primary focus until now has been on securing major landmarks in the city such as the "National Mall," and "Union Station," in addition to assisting in crowd control and protecting historical buildings and museums.

The decision comes amid rising tensions in the political and security scene, coinciding with the new federal campaign launched by Trump under the slogan "Restoring Safety," which he announced on Friday will expand to include the cities of Chicago and New York.

Trump stated in a press statement from the White House: "We will make our cities very safe. I believe Chicago will be next, then we will help in New York."

It is worth noting that this campaign has sparked widespread controversy in political and human rights circles, especially with the increasing talk of interference in the powers of local governments and turning the federal capital into a military-style zone.

So far, no additional details have been disclosed regarding the nature of the new tasks that the armed forces will be assigned, or the expected duration of this heavy deployment.