National Security Leaders for America Urges Restraint in Use of National Guard in DC

August 11, 2025

Washington, DC, August 11, 2025, 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.

“Available reporting indicates federal agencies have already surged personnel in Washington, even as violent crime in the city is trending down this year,” said NSL4A Founder and President, Retired Rear Admiral Mike Smith, adding, “Extraordinary military measures should be a last resort, tied to clear necessity and legal limits, and narrowly scoped to missions appropriate for the Guard—such as protecting federal facilities or supporting logistics—rather than routine policing. That is particularly true now, when the National Guard is stretched nearly to its breaking point. NSL4A is deeply concerned that further taxing the National Guard for tasks well outside its expertise will prevent it from providing the emergency services Americans rely on it for.”

Veteran military and civilian national security personnel from NSL4A are available for interviews and to comment, including:

• Rep. William Eynart, retired Major General and former Adjutant General of Illinois

• Major General Randy Manner, USA (Ret), former Vice Chief of the U.S. National Guard Bureau

NSL4A calls on the Administration and Congress to ensure any activation remains strictly within the bounds of law, including the Posse Comitatus Act’s constraints on military involvement in civilian law enforcement absent specific statutory authorization. If deployment is contemplated, the mission should be time-limited, transparently justified with current data, coordinated with District leadership, and subject to robust congressional oversight.

While we acknowledge the authority of the Commander-in-Chief to activate the National Guard in extraordinary circumstances, such actions must be based on credible threat assessments and transparent coordination with local officials. 

National Security Leaders for America members are available for interviews on this issue.