Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed an order allowing roughly 2,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen deployed in Washington, D.C., to carry their service weapons while on patrol. The directive, issued 22 Aug., reverses guidance the Army gave just a week earlier that weapons would remain in the armory. Guard members will begin carrying M17 pistols “consistent with their mission and training,” the Pentagon said. The troops, drawn from the District of Columbia and at least six Republican-led states, are supporting local and federal police under Title 32 status, which permits them to perform certain law-enforcement tasks while remaining under state command and federal funding. Officials said Guard personnel will still defer arrests to police officers but may detain suspects temporarily when necessary. Coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department and other agencies will determine when weapons are carried. Arming the Guard marks the latest escalation in President Donald Trump’s month-long federal intervention aimed at reducing crime and homelessness in the capital, an operation that has already placed the city’s police department under temporary federal control. The Pentagon has not indicated how long the armed deployment will remain, but the White House has signaled that similar security measures could be extended to other major U.S. cities.