Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered National Guard troops to start carrying firearms while patrolling the streets of Washington for President Donald Trump's law enforcement crackdown, the Pentagon said Friday.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered that National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington for President Trump's law enforcement crackdown will be armed, the Pentagon said.

The National Guard soldiers being mobilized will effectively serve as a support pillar to a sweeping federal interagency effort, while also serving as a visible deterrent force, a US Defense