Washington Guard Presence Falls to 2,921 Troops From July Peak of 5,148
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 29
Washington Guard Presence Falls to 2,921 Troops From July Peak of 5,148
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 29
Summary
2,921 National Guard troops were on Washington’s streets, according to a Pentagon task force, dropping the deployment below 3,000 after a July 10 peak of 5,148.
Hundreds had been added weekly from June as Trump’s 250th-anniversary events ramped up, but troop clusters at subway stops and tourist sites have thinned as summer programming ended.
27 states and two territories have supplied forces over the past year, though 11 states have since withdrawn; Washington’s own Guard now accounts for about 23% of the deployment.
The mission’s future remains unclear even after a $292 million housing contract signed in July signaled plans to keep troops in the capital for the rest of Trump’s term.
The deployment began in August 2025 after Trump declared a "crime emergency," and a federal appeals court upheld his authority in December because Washington is a federal district.