NSL4A announced today that it has filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s challenge to the federalization of the California National Guard. 

The brief, filed by NSL4A’s counsel at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, underscores the historic and legal limits on the President’s authority to seize control of state National Guard units without a governor’s consent. At issue is the President’s June 7, 2025, order to federalize and deploy 4,000 California Guard members to Los Angeles under 10 U.S.C. § 12406, despite Governor Newsom’s determination that local police forces were sufficient to maintain order. 

NSL4A, a bipartisan coalition of retired senior military officers, ambassadors, and national security officials, today announced its opposition to  President Trump’s new Executive Order granting the National Guard sweeping authority to perform domestic law enforcement duties,  calling them “ineffective, wasteful, and dangerous.”

This action represents a perilous escalation in the politicization of America’s armed forces. For over two centuries, the United States has maintained a distinct separation between civilian policing and the military. By directing the Guard to assume routine law enforcement responsibilities, the administration is eroding one of the bedrock principles of our democracy: that military power must never be used as a tool of domestic control.

National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A)  urges restraint regarding the President’s plan to deploy up to 1,000 D.C. National Guard personnel in the nation’s capital to address street crime and homelessness. While the President holds direct authority over the D.C. Guard, using military forces in civilian policing risks blurring critical lines between military and law enforcement and eroding public trust in both; further, the National Guard is already stretched near its breaking point, and deployments well outside its expertise risk critically undermining its readiness to perform essential tasks. Accordingly, NSL4A also calls upon Congress to exercise its oversight authority to curtail the domestic use of the military.

National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A)  is alarmed by the federalization of National Guard troops over the express wishes of the State Governor and despite the state’s confidence in its ability to maintain local order. This unilateral federal overreach risks politicizing the military and degrading public confidence in our armed forces. NSL4A, therefore, calls upon Congress to exercise its oversight authority to curtail the domestic use of the military to quell protests that are within the ability of state authorities to control and to avoid setting a dangerous precedent.

Rear Admiral Mike Smith (Ret), President and Founder of National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A), delivered remarks at the Unite for Veterans Rally held today in Washington, DC. Held on the 81st anniversary of D-Day, the event brought together leaders, advocates, and veterans from across the country to reaffirm the nation’s commitment to those who have served.

National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A) s proud to partner with the Unite for Veterans Rally, taking place on Friday, June 6, 2025, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. NSL4A Founder and President, Rear Admiral Mike Smith, U.S. Navy (Ret.), will be among the keynote speakers, joining a distinguished lineup including U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth and former Representatives Adam Kinzinger and Conor Lamb.

National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A) issued the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s decision to accept a Boeing 747 jet from the Qatari royal family to become the new Air Force One. NSL4A is calling on Congress to fulfill its role in overseeing national security and operational security standards.

National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A) is calling on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees to launch an immediate investigation into the sharing of sensitive military plans by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. NSL4A urges Congress to require regular reporting and oversight of all classified communications from the Administration’s national security leadership, including disclosures, recipients, and the means by which such information is transmitted.

National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A) Founder and President, retired Rear Admiral Mike Smith, issued the following statement on today's Politico report revealing the widespread and improper use of the commercial encrypted messaging app Signal and called for a bipartisan investigation into what critical information may have fallen into adversaries’ hands.

National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A) Founder and President, retired Rear Admiral Mike Smith, issued the following statement regarding the announced firings of several senior military officers without cause, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, and the Judge Advocates General of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.