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President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to establish a “quick reaction force” composed of National Guard troops that could be mobilized swiftly across the country to address public safety concerns.
The directive calls on Hegseth to ensure that each state’s Army and Air National Guard units are “resourced, trained, organized, and available to assist Federal, State, and local law enforcement in quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety and order whenever the circumstances necessitate, as appropriate under law.”
Under the order, an “appropriate number” of trained Guard members from each state must be designated for rapid mobilization, creating a standing quick reaction force with the capability for “rapid nationwide deployment.”
The move comes as Trump increasingly turns to the National Guard in his domestic security agenda. In June, the administration federalized California’s Guard troops, without a request from Gov. Gavin Newsom, to bolster Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Los Angeles and guard federal buildings. Guard units have also been deployed in Washington, D.C., under Trump’s federal authority over the District.
At a Monday news conference, Trump suggested he is prepared to deploy troops even without cooperation from state governors.
“I am, but I also think that, look, Chicago, everybody knows how bad it is,” Trump said. “Everybody standing here knows; we know. You don’t have to be doing any studies. They should be saying, please come in.”
Trump has repeatedly called out Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, blaming them for what he describes as “out-of-control” crime.
“Chicago is a disaster,” he said. “And the governor of Illinois should say, ‘Mr. President, would you do us the honor of cleaning up our city? We need help. They need help.’”
The president argued that Guard operations in Los Angeles were a success despite opposition from state leaders.
“We saved Los Angeles, and all we did is get criticized by this idiot that’s running the state into the ground,” Trump said.
The Posse Comitatus Act generally limits the use of federal troops in domestic law enforcement, though exceptions allow a president to deploy National Guard forces when federal laws cannot otherwise be enforced. That provision was cited in June when Guard members and Marines were sent to Los Angeles amid protests.