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

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.