Governors of at least five Republican-led states have agreed to dispatch additional National Guard units to Washington, D.C., answering President Donald Trump’s call for reinforcements in what he has labelled a public-safety emergency. West Virginia is sending 300–400 soldiers, South Carolina 200, Ohio 150, Mississippi 200 and Louisiana about 135, augmenting the 800 D.C. Guard troops the administration activated on 11 August. The new arrivals raise the number of Guard personnel expected in the capital to more than 1,900, according to figures from the Associated Press and state announcements. The deployments are being funded under federal Title 32 status, leaving the troops under state command while the Pentagon covers costs and sets mission rules. A separate shift in policy is under way: National Guard members who were first deployed without weapons have been told to prepare to carry firearms in the coming days, the Wall Street Journal reported, a change later confirmed by NBC News. The Guard has so far mainly patrolled tourist corridors and helped with crowd control; officials say arming the troops will expand their ability to protect federal personnel and property. Trump’s 11 August executive order took temporary federal control of Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department and directed federal agencies to help crack down on crime, homelessness and undocumented immigration in the city. The White House cites 380 arrests and 21 firearm seizures in the first week of the operation. District leaders and some congressional Democrats dispute the need for the build-up. Mayor Muriel Bowser notes that violent crime is down 26 % from last year and at a three-decade low, calling the deployment “politically motivated.” Legal scholars say the Posse Comitatus Act generally limits military policing, though Guard troops operating under state authority face fewer restrictions. Trump has suggested similar measures could be extended to other U.S. cities if local leaders fail to curb crime.