President Donald Trump on 25 August signed an executive order directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to create National Guard units that are "specifically trained and equipped" to deal with civil disturbances. The order instructs each state’s Army and Air National Guard to earmark personnel and resources for rapid mobilization and sets up a permanent rapid-reaction force capable of deploying anywhere in the country on short notice. While National Guard troops already assist law-enforcement agencies at governors’ request, the directive seeks to standardize their training, equipment and availability, and allows the administration to call on them for riot control and other public-order missions. Legal analysts note the measure leaves unanswered how the units would be commanded if governors decline to activate them, raising fresh questions about federal authority over domestic policing. The move follows Hegseth’s decision last week to permit Guard members deployed in Washington, D.C., to carry firearms. According to the White House, more than 1,000 arrests have been made in the capital since federal authorities assumed control of local policing three weeks ago, with 111 guns seized and 49 homeless encampments dismantled. Trump said he may ask Congress to codify the initiative and signaled he is prepared to send the new units to cities such as Chicago, prompting criticism from Democrats who accuse the president of politicizing the military.