Veterans Condemn Domestic Military Intervention in the Nation’s Capital

Atlanta, GA: Today, President Trump announced that the Administration is taking federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia and federalizing the D.C. National Guard—despite the fact that violent crime in our nation’s capital is at a 30-year low and down 26% from last year. The facts make clear that this action is not an emergency response. It is a partisan use of military and federal law enforcement power on U.S. soil.

The Chamberlain Network believes in the foundational American principle that civilian law enforcement, not the military, is responsible for local safety. Keeping our military out of our communities is one of the guardrails that protects the Republic. Breaking with that tradition, explicitly given to us by our nation’s founders, weakens the very fabric of American society. 

The unjustified and reckless deployment of federal troops in Los Angeles earlier this summer showed that when a domestic military mission lacks justification and clear limits, it destroys the trust between the armed forces and the community. And just as in L.A., this action seeks only to create and inflame tensions between the public and the federal government for political purposes. 

The Administration has already suggested that other cities could face similar National Guard deployments – these actions serve to escalate tensions, not reduce them. When the president orders troops or federal agents into communities absent an emergency, he overrides the local professionals who know the community, its streets, and its needs. 

The Chamberlain Network calls on all leaders—civilian and military—to uphold the norms, laws, and professional standards that prevent politicized military use at home. These are not partisan matters. They are the foundation of a free and self-governing people.