Key facts
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved the fleet upgrades, according to a Pentagon memo.
- The Pentagon plans to send more military equipment for soldiers patrolling the nation's capital.
- Local officials said they will ask incoming governors to end the deployments.
- District of Columbia lawmakers had hoped Tuesday's election results would help clear hundreds of National Guard troops from the city.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved adding boats and Humvees to the National Guard presence in Washington, according to a Pentagon memo reported by The Washington Post on November 5, 2026. The Pentagon plans to send more military equipment for soldiers patrolling the nation's capital.
District of Columbia lawmakers who had hoped that Tuesday's election results would help them clear hundreds of National Guard troops from the city learned of the equipment plan on Thursday, November 5, 2026. Local officials said they will ask incoming governors to end the deployments.
The report did not state how many additional boats or vehicles would be sent, their cost, or when they would arrive.