W.Va. Guard Will Extend D.C. Deployment Through At Least December

The West Virginia National Guard (WVNG) announced Tuesday it is extending its deployment in Washington, D.C. through Dec. 31.

The deployment is in support of President Donald Trump’s D.C. Safe and Beautiful initiative, a coordinated federal, local and military effort focused on improving public safety in the nation’s capital. West Virginia is among several states that sent National Guard members starting in August to the nation’s capital. 

While Trump issued an executive order in August declaring a crime emergency in the nation’s capital, the U.S. Justice Department said violent crime there is at a 30-year low.

Within a month, more than 2,300 Guard troops from eight states and the district were patrolling under the Army secretary’s command. Trump also deployed hundreds of federal agents to assist them.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey has authorized WVNG members to volunteer for continued service in the nation’s capital.

In a press release, the WVNG announced extending the mission will be reevaluated every quarter through the end of Fiscal Year 2026. 

Approximately 160 guard volunteers have been approved to remain in Washington on federally funded orders. All personnel not continuing as part of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission returned to West Virginia on Nov. 17.

Kanawha County Circuit Judge Richard D. Lindsay ruled in November that the WVNG could continue the deployment after the West Virginia Citizen Action Group filed a lawsuit claiming Morrisey exceeded his authority.