Commentary: National security leaders thank Gov. Kotek for not sending Guard troops to D.C.

According to public reports, the governors of Michigan, Minnesota, and North Carolina have collectively deployed hundreds of National Guard personnel under the expectation they will assist with America 250 events on and around the National Mall.1 In the modern era, it has been customary for Guard personnel from around the country to provide emergency response and crowd management support for high-profile, non-partisan events in Washington, D.C., such as a presidential inauguration. These operations had a clear mission, limited scope, and were apolitical in character.

The present situation is fundamentally different. Notwithstanding good faith intentions to support the celebration of American history, sending troops to D.C. in the present context is instead likely to undermine force morale and readiness, civil-military relations, and the rule of law.

New deployments contribute to the Administration’s “summer surge,” an expansion of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful law enforcement mission that started in August 2025. Months ago, a federal judge concluded that the ongoing Guard operations are unlawful, mirroring the positions articulated by Oregon and nearly two dozen other states and a number of the undersigned in respective legal briefs opposing the deployment.

By requiring that Guard personnel engage in routine local policing functions throughout the District, the operation also represents a troubling departure from the settled tradition of separating military personnel from domestic law enforcement, with some orders placing Guardsmen at the center of issues of public controversy. Coupled with the overtly political actions of senior Administration leaders and intense local opposition, the negative impact on morale is apparent.

Bringing more troops into this setting – especially in the absence of any clear security need – would only exacerbate these corrosive trends. Attempts by some state leaders to pre-emptively limit the activities of their deployed troops are well-intended, but do not reflect the unpredictable ways that on-the-ground conditions can evolve and the reality that the Joint Task Force retains operational control over security in the District.

Over the past 250 years, a non-partisan military has been a bedrock of American democracy. Your abstention from the D.C. deployment is an honorable tribute to those who founded our nation and the men and women in uniform who have fought to defend it ever since.

Signed,

Former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall III

General Michael V. Hayden, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

Admiral William A. Owens, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Vice Admiral Donald C. Arthur, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Vice Admiral Michael T. Franken, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Lieutenant General Walter E. Gaskin, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)

Major General Richard T. Devereaux, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

Major General Irving L. Halter, Jr., U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

Major General Steven J. Lepper, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

Major General Randy E. Manner, U.S. Army (Ret.)

Major General Frederick H. Martin, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

Major General Gale S. Pollock, U.S. Army (Ret.)

Major General Linda Singh, U.S. Army (Ret.)

Major General F. Andrew Turley, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

Rear Admiral (Lower Half) James A. Barnett, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Brigadier General Steven M. Anderson, U.S. Army (Ret.)

Brigadier General John W. Douglass, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

Brigadier General Robert J. Felderman, U.S. Army (Ret.)

Brigadier General Joseph V. Medina, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)

Source:

1 Kat Londsorf, In a first since Trump deployed the guard to D.C., Democrats are sending troops, NPR (June 26, 2026), https://www.npr.org/2026/06/26/nx-s1-5871231/democrats-national-guard-dc. The Governor of Kentucky initially deployed a single Guardsman, but has since recalled him. Kat Lonsdorf, Michigan governor threatens to pull troops from D.C. if used for Trump task force, NPR (June 29, 2026), www.npr.org/2026/06/29/nx-s1-5875427/michigan-governor-national-guard-dc.