On the scene: National Guard deploys on the streets, at historic sites in the nation’s capital

Two soldiers stand alongside a military vehicle with trees and the U.S. Capitol in the background.

Soldiers with the District of Columbia National Guard stand watch as part of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission in Washington on Aug. 16, 2025. Guard members are positioned at key locations throughout the city to provide a visible security presence alongside law enforcement partners. (Aaron Troutman/U.S. Army)

Soldiers with the District of Columbia National Guard marked a week of deployment in their mission to reduce crime in the nation’s capital on Tuesday.

About 800 D.C. National Guard troops are deployed, mostly in support of local law enforcement. Hundreds of additional National Guard soldiers from other states also will be deployed in the capital.

Two male soldiers seen from above in an otherwise empty space of floor.

D.C. National Guard soldiers stand watch in Union Station in Washington on Aug. 16, 2025. (Aaron Troutman/U.S. Army)

Two female soldiers walking in a grandiose and bright hall.

D.C. National Guard soldiers stand watch in Union Station in Washington on Aug. 16, 2025. (Aaron Troutman/U.S. Army)

Three soldiers seen from the waist-up between two large statues; they are nearly silhouettes because of the bright light behind them.

D.C. National Guard soldiers establish an observation post inside Union Station in Washington on Aug. 15, 2025. (Andrew Enriquez/U.S. Army)

The National Guard began 24-hour operations Thursday. Troops have been seen outside Union Station and around the National Mall.

Three people and a soldier, all grinning or laughing; a second soldier is mostly obscured by one of the civilians.

D.C. residents speak with a National Guard soldier in Washington on Aug. 17, 2025. (Rolando Garcia/U.S. Army)

A family stands next to two soldiers by an armored vehicle, with the Lincoln Memorial and reflecting pool in the background.

A family chats with National Guard soldiers on the National Mall in Washington on Aug. 18, 2025. (Alexander Banerjee/Stars and Stripes)

A woman and four Air National Guard members pose for a photo, all smiling, with the U.S. Capitol in the background.

D.C. Air National Guardsmen supporting Joint Task Force D.C. stand guard at the National Mall in Washington on Aug. 16, 2025. (Natalie Filzen/U.S. Air National Guard)

Two little boys next to a soldier with the Washington Monument visible in the background nearby; the soldier is holding a radio to one boy’s face as the boy smiles.

D.C. National Guard soldiers entertain children at the National Mall in Washington on Aug. 16, 2025. (Carrol Walter Hughes IV/U.S. Army)

National Guard troops assigned to Washington are not armed, defense officials said last week, with one official adding they also did not have weapons in their vehicles. But a White House official said Monday on the condition of anonymity that “they may be armed, consistent with their mission and training.”

D.C. National Guard soldiers walk by the reflecting pool at the National Mall in Washington on Aug. 18, 2025. (Nina Cortez/U.S. Army)

A man pushing a baby stroller walks on a sidewalk past a military vehicle with troops in camouflage uniforms standing in front, with the U.S. Capitol building in the background.

National Guard troops deployed on Aug. 14, 2025, at the National Mall in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Small protests have taken place in the area in the last week, including a demonstration Saturday at the National Mall.

A lone National Guard soldier stands in front of a crowd of protesters. One protester holds a sign that reads: “The only crime wave in DC is in the White House. Free DC.”

The D.C. National Guard was deployed to the nation’s capital to crack down on crime. The city’s residents voiced opposition with a protest on Aug. 16, 2025. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes)

Two soldiers by an armored vehicle as protestors stand near them and shout and/or hold signs.

D.C. National Guard soldiers stand by as demonstrators protest around them in Washington, on Aug. 16, 2025. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes)

Washington, D.C. residents took the streets on Aug. 16, 2025, to oppose the Trump administration’s federalization of the nation’s capital’s police force and deployment of the National Guard. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes)

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On the scene: National Guard deploys on the streets, at historic sites in the nation’s capital

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