The commander of the National Guard task force in Washington said his troops are focused on their assigned mission, which is to provide security, not direct law enforcement, and to be a “reassuring presence.”
Col. Lawrence Doane, the commander of Joint Task Force-D.C., told Task & Purpose that many of his troops patrolling and working in Washington have experienced “some very positive” interactions, but acknowledged that “some are not, and that’s fine.”
Those mixed interactions, both the good and the bad, have shown up on social media over the last month. Photos and videos highlighting the soldiers exchanging pleasantries with locals have been posted along with encounters with protestors who have used the National Guard as a backdrop to address broader national politics.
In mid-August, Task & Purpose observed many of those two-sided interactions between Guardsmen, curious tourists and angry passersby outside of Union Station in downtown D.C. One man called out, saying “scumbags” as he walked by with his bike, while a family stopped to take a photo with an up-armored Humvee parked on a concrete island. Another couple held a sign that read “No ICE! No National Guard!” while they stopped to question several troops about their mission.
Doane, who is a full-time Guardsman in D.C., said those types of mixed interactions have been typical but that his soldiers are committed to making sure “every American around them feels safe” and that “a lot of what the uniform’s about is providing that safety and security where we are.”
Task & Purpose spoke with Doane on Wednesday when he joined a patrol of National Guard troops at The Wharf, a southwestern Washington D.C. neighborhood along the Potomac River. Other Guardsmen on duty either declined to speak with a reporter or referred Task & Purpose to a public affairs officer.
“We want to make sure that everyone around us, no matter how they feel about this or what they’re doing, they feel safe. That’s what we’re here for,” Doane said.
In August, President Donald Trump ordered 800 National Guard troops to deploy to Washington to “help reestablish law, order, and public safety in Washington, D.C.”
The move came despite a 30-year low and a year-over-year decrease in violent crime statistics between 2023 and 2024, according to the Justice Department. Seven states subsequently announced they would send Guard troops to Washington, bringing the number assigned to Joint Task Force-D.C. to more than 2,250.
Doane also said his troops are properly trained for the deployment. Most, he said, come from military police units and would have attended the Army’s Military Police school at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. There, soldiers receive weapons training and instruction on military and civilian laws and jurisdictions, traffic and crowd control, arrest and restraints. The task force also includes soldiers from other combat arms like infantry and cavalry units, which have a variety of military occupational specialties (MOS). The task force did not provide a breakdown on the number of military police.
“The vast majority of folks out are from those backgrounds, [and are] very comfortable with patrolling, very comfortable with carrying their weapons. Everyone out here, no matter what their MOS is, is qualified for everything they’re doing. They’ve been trained on what they’re doing. We continue to train on what we’re doing,” Doane said. “I’m very comfortable with the group we have out here.”
But while Doane believes his troops are both well-trained and operating under clear legal guidelines, some veteran military leaders and experts in military use argue that mixing the Guard with federal agents and law enforcement in Washington creates a tinder box that Guard soldiers may not recognize.
Alex Wagner, a former chief of staff to the Army secretary and assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, believes typical citizens — with little to no exposure to the military or heavily armed police units — have almost no way to understand the differences between soldiers and uniformed federal law enforcement.
Top Stories This Week
“It’s hard for American civilians to fully understand the rule-of-engagement distinctions between local law enforcement like the D.C. police, federal law enforcement like FBI and ICE agents, and the National Guard, who are in theory supporting and aiding law enforcement operations,” he said. “I think the distinction will be blurred and it’s so unusual to have happened in an American city during a time of relative peace.”
The D.C. deployment also stands under a shadow cast by more recent and past deployments of U.S. troops to American cities, from the federalized Guardsmen and U.S. Marines in Los Angeles this summer, to previous large-scale mobilizations like the 1992 Los Angeles riots, or the fatal shooting at Kent State in 1970 when Ohio National Guard troops fired into a crowd of anti-war protesters, killing 4.
The existence of uniformed troops patrolling city streets for “presence purposes” is rather unusual, Wagner said, even when compared to the military’s deterrence abroad.
“Airmen who are deployed to Germany, for example, are advised not to wear their uniforms when they’re not on base, as it’s viewed as destabilizing, and for force protection reasons, can make themselves a target,” he said. “Here in D.C., they’re being asked to be visible for ‘presence’ purposes, but they’re not trained in local laws or conflict de-escalation the way law enforcement is.”
The line between presence and enforcement
Doane emphasized that troops are “not allowed to do direct law enforcement” and are “not affecting arrests.” Joint Task Force officials said National Guard troops are allowed to “temporarily limit [someone’s] movement” but have to transfer them to law enforcement custody.
Joshua Kastenberg, a former Air Force lawyer and professor of national security and criminal law said that “temporary detention is just custody by another name.”
Last week, the Pentagon authorized troops to carry their service weapons. Doane said troops are armed “just for force protection” of themselves, law enforcement partners and surrounding civilians, adding that they would only need to use force if an incident posed “really great bodily harm that we want to prevent anywhere around us.”
In addition to the fundamental training they receive for their MOS, when troops arrived in D.C., they received briefings and training that are “standard for any mission where we go out and support law enforcement,” a Joint Task Force-D.C. official said.
The Joint Reception Staging Order Integration briefing focused on the use of force, legal limits and advice from Army public affairs officials. Troops were issued cards with “all the do’s and don’ts” of how to engage, present themselves, and relevant social media policies, the task force official said.
Troops have also been assigned to roles that involve collecting trash or “beautification” efforts and patrolling the D.C. metros, which has drawn significant criticism.
Doane said his troops are also getting appropriate lodging and meals, an issue that has dogged past deployments to Washington, when soldiers slept in parking garages and other public spaces. A task force official told Task & Purpose that soldiers now in Washington are staying in nearby hotels and are provided both contracted meals and midnight chow at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in southeast D.C. Still, the nutritional value of those breakfasts has drawn scrutiny online as photos and soldier feedback on sites like Hots&Cots showed low-nutrition meals of pastries, sugar-filled granola bars, fruit and juices.
On the other hand, Doane says living conditions are being well-managed.
“Everyone is getting a great work-rest cycle. We have plenty of time to train and keep them on. This is very sustainable,” Doane said. “Morale is great and they’re getting enough downtime to take care of themselves.”
