National Guard troops deployment in Washington DC extended to end of 2026: Report

WASHINGTON, DC: Officials have reportedly extended the deployment of National Guard troops in Washington DC for a third time.

Per the latest directive, the boots will remain on the ground in the American capital through the end of 2026.

The National Guard's mission in the District of Columbia (DC) began back in August 2025 when President Donald Trump ordered their posting, aiming for a federal crackdown on crime.

The troops were originally to leave Washington DC by November 2025. 

That deadline was later bumped up to February 2026, and is now postponed till the end of the year. 

Deployment timeline, purpose remain flexible

One official familiar with the matter told CNN that the new orders specifically run until December 31.

This is not set in stone, however. A second official specified that the orders could be amended to be shorter.

National Guard troops will continue conducting armed patrols and beautification projects, defense officials familiar with the plan told The Washington Post.

 By Thursday, January 16, morning, 2,429 troops were working on the National Guard mission in DC.

Around 700 personnel came from the DC National Guard, and over 1,700 troops arrived from other states.

So far, eleven states— including Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, West Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama— have sent National Guard members for the DC deployment.

A memo reviewed by The Associated Press also confirmed the same.

The memo, signed by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and dated Wednesday, January 15, said “the conditions of the mission” warranted an extension past the end of next month to continue supporting President Donald Trump’s “ongoing efforts to restore law and order.”

Trump announces removal of Guard from Chicago, LA

The extension comes just weeks after Trump announced he would remove National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland.

That decision had come in light of a Supreme Court ruling that Trump had failed to establish the “exceptional” circumstances that would legally authorize him to federalize the National Guard troops in Chicago.

Trump, in a social media post, announced the withdrawal of the troops but said they “will come back…when crime begins to soar again,” which he said was “[o]nly a question of time!”

The case for Washington is different from other cities like Chicago.

Since Congress set it up as a federal district, Trump has a lot more direct power over the police and the DC National Guard.

He doesn’t have to cross the same legal hoops he has faced in some states.

Back in August, Trump had called up 800 members of the DC National Guard to the capital under an emergency order. Soon after, Republican governors from other states sent in even more troops to help.

The DC deployment made headlines after a shooting in November killed 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and wounded West Virginia Guardsman Andrew Wolfe.

After that, officials sent in 500 more troops.