National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., will now carry weapons for personal protection and are allowed to carry out law enforcement duties, defense officials said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered National Guard members patrolling the streets of Washington, DC, to begin carrying their service weapons as they fulfill President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown in the nation’s capital,

With several states deploying some troops to Washington, D.C., the nation's capital has around 2,000 National Guard troops deployed.