The U.S. Department of Defense has released about 150 California National Guard members from federal security duties in Los Angeles so they can rejoin the state’s wildfire-fighting Task Force Rattlesnake. The move, announced 2 July, follows a request from U.S. Northern Command chief Gen. Gregory Guillot, who had asked Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to return 200 troops as fire danger escalates across California. Roughly 4,000 Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines were federalized in early June to protect federal buildings during protests over immigration enforcement, deployments that state officials said depleted critical firefighting manpower. Hegseth’s decision repatriates fewer soldiers than Guillot sought, but the Pentagon said Task Force 51—the joint force securing Los Angeles—remains “appropriately sourced” with about 5,000 personnel still on duty. Governor Gavin Newsom, who had warned that the Guard’s absence left California vulnerable at the height of fire season, welcomed the partial drawdown and urged federal officials to release additional crews. Wildfire activity typically peaks in July and August, and state authorities rely on National Guard hand-crews to reinforce civilian fire agencies.