Former general calls Trump’s use of National Guard a ‘misuse’ : NPR
Members of the National Guard patrol near the U.S. Capitol on October 1 in Washington, D.C.
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Al Drago/Getty Images North America
Trim trees, pick up trash, patrol neighborhoods. These are some of the ways the National Guard has been deployed in recent weeks.
During his second term, President Trump has increasingly sought to use the Guard — particularly in Democratic-run cities — to fight crime, quell protests and support ICE operations.
In Washington, where Guard members have been deployed since August, they have extensively patrolled the capital’s streets and participated in beautification projects. The U.S. military said its troops had cleaned up 1,142 bags of trash, spread 1,045 cubic yards of mulch, pruned 400 trees, cleared 7.9 miles of road, painted 270 feet of fencing and packaged 6,030 pounds of food as of Oct. 1.
The Trump administration has also pushed for the deployment of troops to Oregon and Illinois to protect ICE facilities and personnel. Meanwhile, in Missouri, a small group of Guard members were called to assist ICE with “data entry, case management, and logistical support.” As for MemphisThe Guard’s role has not yet been determined, but the city government has described its presence as the “eyes and ears” of local law enforcement.
Last week, at a gathering of top U.S. military leaders in Quantico, Virginia, Trump thanked the Guard for helping make Washington, DC, safer.
“I would like to salute all the military personnel who helped us carry out this critical mission. It is truly a very important mission,” he said.
While these tasks have attracted attention, military experts say they stray from the Guard’s core missions, such as helping those in need during natural disasters and other emergencies. They are also concerned about the impact of these new deployments on recruitment and public trust.
“It’s a misuse of a great instrument,” said retired Maj. Gen. William Enyart, who led the Illinois National Guard from 2007 to 2012. He is also a former Democratic congressman.
The National Guard Bureau declined to comment.
Minutemen to 2025 Texas Floods
The Guard’s roots date back to the 1600s, more than a century before the founding of the country. At the time, the colonies formed their own militias made up of citizen-soldiers.
These early forces were called “minutemen” because they were known to react at a moment’s notice and later inspired the creation of the Guard.
Today, a minuteman is on the Guard seal and the spirit of a “minuteman” still rings true, according to Kevin Greene, co-director of the Center for the Study of the National Guard at the University of Southern Mississippi.
“They have chosen to serve those who cannot or choose not to,” he added. “And they do it out of a sense of duty and to bring relief and safety to their cities, counties, states and nation.”
While Guard members have been deployed overseas for military operations or sent to handle civil unrest at home, more often than not, they have answered the call during natural disasters and other emergencies, Greene added.
During the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Guard troops searched for survivors in the rubble and recovered the remains of the fallen firefighters. In 2005, following Hurricane Katrina, the Air National Guard evacuated nearly 2,000 inhabitantsas well as delivering food, water and medical supplies to those in need.
Members of the New Mexico National Guard wade through water to search for bodies in homes destroyed after Hurricane Katrina September 10, 2005 in Port Sulfur, Louisiana.
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Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America
Members of the guard were also on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic — staffing emergency call centers, working in food banks and remove the dead hospitals. Most recently, in July, troops saved more than 520 people after devastating floods hit central Texas.
This adaptability is why the Guard is often compared to a “Swiss army knife”. But Maj. Gen. Enyart warned that just because they can and want to help with many things doesn’t mean they should be taken advantage of.
“Soldiers like to have a useful mission,” he said. “And they are counting on the political leaders of this country to send them on necessary missions, either to defend this country or to recover from a natural disaster.”
Members of the New York National Guard distribute food to families in New Rochelle, New York, March 12, 2020.
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Seth Wenig/AP
Since Guard members serve part-time, Enyart also said he worries about how these deployments would disrupt their civilian employment or education, or strain their loved ones.
“There is not only a breach of trust towards the soldier, but also towards his families,” he said.
Retired Maj. Gen. Randy Manner, former acting vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, said he was concerned the assignments would hurt recruiting — which was it’s going strong.
He also fears that use of the Guard under the Trump administration will become more frequent and widespread.
“We must not allow this administration to drive a wedge between the American people and our military,” he said.
