Ohio Veterans Oppose DC National Guard Mission as Unlawful Overreach

Ohio National Guard's Washington Deployment Met with Veteran Opposition

A group of military veterans and families from active-duty personnel have voiced their apprehensions regarding the Ohio National Guard's recent deployment to the U.S. capital.

On August 16, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine declared that 150 military police from the Ohio National Guard would be stationed in Washington, D.C. These forces joined the Joint Task Force District of Columbia (JTF-DC) for the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Mission. However, Ohio veterans argue that utilizing National Guard troops for law enforcement and beautification tasks is legally questionable and may result in negative consequences.

To date, nearly 1,900 guardsmen from states such as North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia have been deployed for this initiative. This action aligns with President Donald Trump’s executive order dated August 11, which declared a crime emergency in the District of Columbia.

Chris Purdy, an Army National Guard veteran and the founder and CEO of The Chamberlain Network, criticized Governor DeWine’s decision, emphasizing the need for governors to maintain authority over their National Guard units. Purdy stated, “These are the military of each state effectively. If the president wants to federalize the National Guard, then that’s a fight he can have. For governors to go along with something they know is wrong, is a real dereliction of duty on their part.”

Although JTF-DC members have not been federally activated under Title 10 orders, President Trump reinforced his stance by issuing another executive order on August 25. This order mandates U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to ensure that each state’s Army and Air National Guard units are prepared to serve as a “quick reaction force” for deployments across the nation, assisting both federal and local law enforcement in managing civil unrest and maintaining public safety.

Following approximately ten days of deployment, President Trump highlighted a significant achievement, noting that D.C. had remained free of homicides for seven consecutive days and that crime rates had decreased by over 80%. However, Dan Maurer, an Army veteran and associate professor at Ohio Northern University College of Law, contends that the president’s plan to extend National Guard deployments to other states infringes upon The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. This law prohibits the use of military forces in civilian law enforcement unless exceptional circumstances, such as the Insurrection Act, are invoked to federalize troops.

Maurer commented, “Assuming the crime rate is statistically lower than it was a week ago — and that you can attribute it to the National Guard — the end is justifying the means and that’s not what the law says. The law prohibits the use of the military even if it’s sufficient, even if it’s successful, unless certain conditions exist that warrant it.”

Ohio veterans have further raised concerns that deploying the Ohio National Guard may undermine public trust in military personnel within the community. Retired Army Brig. Gen. Christopher Dziubek shared his experiences with the military’s Civil Affairs unit, noting the distinct skill set of police in building community trust compared to military roles. He explained, “Police are hampered when they put on a uniform in a deployed environment and try to exercise those same skillsets to gain the trust of an indigenous population, in a place where the Army has been for combat operations.”

Navy veteran Kenneth Harbaugh expressed his worries about the potential politicization of service members. He noted the challenges of having law enforcement, guardsmen, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers patrolling Washington, D.C. side-by-side, all in uniform. Harbaugh stated, “I think it should be abundantly clear that National Guard troops are not covering their faces, they are not ashamed of serving in uniform. But they are being associated unfairly with other government organizations — levers of power — that are not behaving as professionally. Connecting the National Guard to that is one more step towards politicization of the military and betraying the trust that we have — for so long — held dearly between the military and the society it exists to protect.”

In a recent press release, JTF-DC revealed that U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard III, the interim commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, has authorized guard members supporting JTF-DC to carry their service-issued weapons “after careful consideration of the security environment.” Blanchard stated, “This decision is not something taken lightly. We are in coordination with our law enforcement partners and all appropriate review processes are in place.”