Louisiana becomes 5th state to deploy National Guard troops to Washington

[Desmond Milligan 0]

(The Center Square) − Gov. Jeff Landry said Monday he has approved the deployment of approximately 135 Louisiana National Guard soldiers to Washington, D.C., to assist President Donald Trump’s effort “to restore safety and peace” in the nation’s capital.

“We are a nation of law and order. We cannot allow our cities to be overcome by violence and lawlessness,” Landry wrote on social media.

He added he was “proud to support this mission” and linked it to similar priorities in Louisiana.

Landry’s announcement follows an Aug. 11 presidential memorandum directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to mobilize the D.C. National Guard and to coordinate with governors to order additional Guard units to active service “as he deems necessary.”

The memorandum says the deployment will continue until the president determines “law and order have been restored.”

The Pentagon last week said about 800 guardsmen were activated for the capital’s new “Safe and Beautiful Task Force,” a structure that keeps Guard members under their governors’ control while the federal government covers costs. Troops have been rotating on street support missions alongside federal and D.C. police agencies.

Louisiana’s deployment would come as several states with Republican governors have begun sending contingents.

As of Monday, Mississippi, South Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia had announced deployments at the Pentagon’s request or in support of the federal operation.

Landry’s post did not specify dates, unit designations, or mission assignments for the Louisiana soldiers. The governor’s office had not issued a formal press release as of publication. The Louisiana National Guard has previously supported federal security missions in Washington for discrete events, such as presidential inaugurations.

Under the Aug. 11 directive, Guard mobilizations in D.C. remain open-ended, subject to presidential determination that “conditions of law and order” have been restored. For Louisiana, Title 32 status means the deployment would be federally funded while soldiers remain under the governor’s command.

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