President Donald Trump has ordered an additional 500 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., after two Guard members were shot and critically wounded just blocks from the White House, intensifying an already polarizing military-style security presence in the U.S. capital.
The order was confirmed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said Trump personally asked him to send the extra forces following Wednesday’s ambush-style attack on a West Virginia National Guard patrol near Farragut Square, at 17th and I Streets NW.
Before the shooting, about 2,100–2,375 Guard personnel from D.C. and several states were already deployed in the city under Trump’s August “crime emergency” order, which put the Metropolitan Police Department under temporary federal control and brought in National Guard units for street patrols, transit hubs, checkpoints and other visible duties.
With the new 500-troop surge, the total Guard presence is expected to rise to around 2,700–2,900 soldiers and airmen, though the Pentagon has not provided a precise final figure. The task force already operates across downtown, near Metro stations, around federal buildings and at key traffic arteries.
Officials say the additional troops will be used to “reinforce security corridors” around the White House, major commuter hubs and high-visibility patrol routes, but stressed that Guard members remain under strict rules of engagement and are primarily supporting law enforcement, not replacing it.
Shooting that triggered the new deployment
The deployment decision came hours after an attack that authorities describe as a targeted ambush on Guard soldiers patrolling near Farragut West Metro station, about two blocks from the White House. Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot and critically injured; a suspect, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was wounded and taken into custody.
Law enforcement sources say Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021 during the Afghanistan evacuation and had been living in Washington state. Investigators are treating the case as a possible act of terrorism, but have not announced formal terrorism charges and say he is believed to have acted alone.
Legal and political storm over Guard presence
Trump’s original D.C. deployment has already triggered fierce legal and political backlash:
- The D.C. attorney general and civil-liberties groups argue the operation amounts to an “involuntary military occupation” and may violate the Home Rule Act and the spirit of the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts federal military involvement in domestic policing.
- A federal judge recently ruled the deployment unlawful and ordered it wound down, but stayed the decision for several weeks to allow appeals—meaning the Guard remains in place even as the case moves through the courts.
Critics warn that adding 500 more troops after a high-profile attack risks deepening the sense that Washington is under military occupation and could inflame tensions. Supporters counter that the ambush shows Guardsmen themselves are now targets and argue the extra forces are necessary to deter further attacks and reassure the public.
What happens next
Pentagon officials say the new troops will arrive “within days,” drawn from units already on standby for the D.C. mission. The White House has not said how long the expanded deployment will last, and has given no timeline for ending the broader “crime emergency” operation that began in August.
Local leaders are pressing for clarity. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has acknowledged that reported crime is down but insists any security strategy must respect the city’s autonomy and avoid normalizing long-term military patrols on civilian streets.
For now, Washington wakes up to even more camouflage uniforms, armored vehicles and security cordons—an extraordinary show of force in the nation’s capital triggered by a single, shocking act of violence against the very troops sent to keep order.
