What the National Guard Is Really Contributing in Washington*
Published in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
(Germany) on 3 June 2026
by Sofia Dreisbach (link to
original)
An additional 1,500 soldiers are to be deployed in Washington for the bicentennial celebrations. But they will apparently only be of limited help with security.
The celebrations of the United States’ 250th birthday will bring not only car races and mixed martial arts fights into downtown Washington. More National Guard soldiers are also going to be deployed in the capital. One wants to ensure that Washington is the “safest city in America,” according to a recent announcement by the U.S. district attorney. [https://www.ngaus.org/newsroom/dc-task-force-outlines-summer-surge][mb] Deployment of an additional 1,500 National Guard troops is planned, making a total of about 5,000.
However, a report by the Niskanen Center, a moderate Washington think tank, calls into question how much the soldiers are actually influencing crime in the city. According to researchers, there has been measurable improvement. Since the deployment of 2,000 National Guard soldiers in August 2025, almost one-fourth fewer opportunistic crimes have been registered, such as property crime or car break-ins. However, there has apparently not been any measurable change in cases of violent crime.
According to the report, “What the Guard brought was a massive, sudden shock from the visible presence of uniformed military personnel on the streets of Washington almost overnight.” [quote: https://www.niskanencenter.org/washington-dc-crime-decline-and-its-lessons-for-american-policing/][mb] The tactic seems to have been effective against crimes of opportunity — but not against violent crimes, which are less deterred by the mere presence of patrolling officials.
Not Moving through Hot Spots
President Donald Trump had ordered the National Guard to Washington last year with the justification that the city was being “taken over” by violent crime [quote: https://www.thetrace.org/2025/08/trump-dc-national-guard-violent-crime/],[mb] was a “national disgrace,” and one of the most dangerous cities in the world. [quote: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/restoring-law-and-order-in-the-district-of-columbia/][mb] Current crime statistics from the police show a 3% decline in violent crime compared to last year. But the number was already on the way down, anyway; it declined by 29% from 2024 to 2025.
The report also states that the National Guard has been patrolling during this time above all in public spaces, such as in parks, around monuments, and at transit hubs like Washington’s central train station. Unlike police, the soldiers are allowed to hold people but not to arrest them; that, too, probably contributes to the limited effect of their deterrence.
The Niskanen Center writes that the National Guard members are not present in “high-crime hot spots” and incapable of a focused campaign against violence in the most affected areas of the city. [quote: https://www.niskanencenter.org/washington-dc-crime-decline-and-its-lessons-for-american-policing/] [mb]The deployment “was not a waste” but has been “an expensive tool deployed in the wrong places for the wrong types of crime.” [quote: https://www.niskanencenter.org/washington-dc-crime-decline-and-its-lessons-for-american-policing/][mb]
According to the think tank, the patrols also did not contribute to freeing up capacity in Washington’s police force for areas with higher crime rates. Instead, the deployment areas of the Metropolitan Police Department have remained “essentially unchanged.” [quote: https://www.niskanencenter.org/washington-dc-crime-decline-and-its-lessons-for-american-policing/][mb]
According to an estimate from Congress, the deployment of the soldiers to date has cost about $1.5 million per day. This number is likely to almost double with the deployment of 1,500 additional National Guardsmen and women. According to the think tank’s report, the daily per person costs are 60% higher than for a police officer. That is what makes the deployment of the National Guard “an expensive tool” that could have been used more strategically.
*Editor’s note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.
The celebrations of the United States’ 250th birthday will bring not only car races and mixed martial arts fights into downtown Washington. More National Guard soldiers are also going to be deployed in the capital. One wants to ensure that Washington is the “safest city in America,” according to a recent announcement by the U.S. district attorney. [https://www.ngaus.org/newsroom/dc-task-force-outlines-summer-surge][mb] Deployment of an additional 1,500 National Guard troops is planned, making a total of about 5,000.
However, a report by the Niskanen Center, a moderate Washington think tank, calls into question how much the soldiers are actually influencing crime in the city. According to researchers, there has been measurable improvement. Since the deployment of 2,000 National Guard soldiers in August 2025, almost one-fourth fewer opportunistic crimes have been registered, such as property crime or car break-ins. However, there has apparently not been any measurable change in cases of violent crime.
According to the report, “What the Guard brought was a massive, sudden shock from the visible presence of uniformed military personnel on the streets of Washington almost overnight.” [quote: https://www.niskanencenter.org/washington-dc-crime-decline-and-its-lessons-for-american-policing/][mb] The tactic seems to have been effective against crimes of opportunity — but not against violent crimes, which are less deterred by the mere presence of patrolling officials.
Not Moving through Hot Spots
President Donald Trump had ordered the National Guard to Washington last year with the justification that the city was being “taken over” by violent crime [quote: https://www.thetrace.org/2025/08/trump-dc-national-guard-violent-crime/],[mb] was a “national disgrace,” and one of the most dangerous cities in the world. [quote: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/restoring-law-and-order-in-the-district-of-columbia/][mb] Current crime statistics from the police show a 3% decline in violent crime compared to last year. But the number was already on the way down, anyway; it declined by 29% from 2024 to 2025.
The report also states that the National Guard has been patrolling during this time above all in public spaces, such as in parks, around monuments, and at transit hubs like Washington’s central train station. Unlike police, the soldiers are allowed to hold people but not to arrest them; that, too, probably contributes to the limited effect of their deterrence.
The Niskanen Center writes that the National Guard members are not present in “high-crime hot spots” and incapable of a focused campaign against violence in the most affected areas of the city. [quote: https://www.niskanencenter.org/washington-dc-crime-decline-and-its-lessons-for-american-policing/] [mb]The deployment “was not a waste” but has been “an expensive tool deployed in the wrong places for the wrong types of crime.” [quote: https://www.niskanencenter.org/washington-dc-crime-decline-and-its-lessons-for-american-policing/][mb]
According to the think tank, the patrols also did not contribute to freeing up capacity in Washington’s police force for areas with higher crime rates. Instead, the deployment areas of the Metropolitan Police Department have remained “essentially unchanged.” [quote: https://www.niskanencenter.org/washington-dc-crime-decline-and-its-lessons-for-american-policing/][mb]
According to an estimate from Congress, the deployment of the soldiers to date has cost about $1.5 million per day. This number is likely to almost double with the deployment of 1,500 additional National Guardsmen and women. According to the think tank’s report, the daily per person costs are 60% higher than for a police officer. That is what makes the deployment of the National Guard “an expensive tool” that could have been used more strategically.
*Editor’s note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.
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