周四，美国国防部长皮特・赫格塞思出席华盛顿一场表彰国民警卫队官兵的纪念仪式，场外示威者高喊 “警卫队滚回家” 抗议。目前国民警卫队进驻首都已满一周年，近几周兵力几乎翻倍，总人数约 5000 人。
赫格塞思面向现场约 250 名列队的国民警卫队员发表讲话，称场外的抗议声 “满是忘恩负义”：“这些人被极端意识形态蒙蔽双眼，看不清眼前的法治秩序与基本常识。而这支队伍所做的一切，与意识形态毫无关系。”
公园外围，数十名示威者站在国民警卫队与执法人员构筑的警戒线外，拿着扩音器呼喊口号、吹哨造势，还搭配鼓、长号制造嘈杂声响，企图盖过场内致辞。整场示威全程和平，未发生冲突。
这场活动设在子午线山公园(又名马尔科姆・X 公园)，园内喷泉年久失修，不久前才由美国内政部修缮完工。一同出席的还有国民警卫局局长史蒂文・诺德豪斯上将、代理司法部长托德・布兰奇、华盛顿特区国民警卫队指挥官利兰・布兰查德准将，以及白宫高级幕僚斯蒂芬・米勒 —— 正是米勒主导设计了特朗普政府国民警卫队进驻华盛顿的任务方案。几位官员均到场赞扬驻守首都的官兵。
此次进驻任务的核心工作是在市中心主干道、热门旅游区开展高频可见的巡逻，巡逻区域远离城内高犯罪街区;同时承担城市辅助工作，包括清扫垃圾。执勤官兵普遍配备西格绍尔 M17 型 9 毫米手枪，或是 5.56 毫米口径 M4 卡宾枪。
国民警卫队自去年 8 月起进驻华盛顿，由各州轮流派遣兵力轮换执勤。这次大规模部署让军队人员走上城市民用街道，开启美国前所未有的本土驻军模式，但国民警卫队依法拥有的执法权限十分有限。
与此同时，国民警卫队仍持续轮换部队赴非洲、欧洲执行任务，加之美国与伊朗处于交战状态，中东地区也有大量兵力驻守。警卫队员大多属于兼职服役，需要兼顾本职平民工作与军务。
本次派驻华盛顿的官兵绝大多数来自共和党州长执掌的州，华盛顿特区本地国民警卫队仅派出约 500 人，占该特区警卫队总兵力的四分之一。
国民警卫队官方数据显示：南卡罗来纳州派出约 700 人，佐治亚州近 800 人，密西西比州约 500 人;西弗吉尼亚、内布拉斯加、佛罗里达、路易斯安那等州也派遣了大批分队。
近几周，民主党州长管辖的州与海外领地才开始向华盛顿调派兵力，但仅参与美国建国 250 周年庆典相关安保，应对届时暴增的游客人流。
本周早些时候，密歇根州民主党州长格雷琴・惠特默发出警告：若该州官兵被安排执行特朗普政府常态化的 “平安美好首都” 任务，而非独立日庆典专项安保，她将撤回本州派驻兵力。
但一名美国政府官员坦言，实际操作中很难把节日安保与国民警卫队在华盛顿的长期部署切割开来。常态化任务的执勤范围本就集中在国家广场、市中心交通枢纽，而独立日期间游客与本地居民都会聚集于此。每逢总统就职典礼等重大活动，各州国民警卫队向来会临时抽调兵力支援华盛顿。
多项测算显示，动用国民警卫队的成本，远高于增聘当地警察、市政工作人员。
尼斯卡宁中心一份分析报告对比了两者开支：每名国民警卫队员每日成本约 607 美元，华盛顿特区警员每日仅需 384 美元。
报告还指出，国民警卫队进驻首都后，当地暴力犯罪并未减少，仅财产类案件有所下降。
美国国会预算办公室预估，今年国民警卫队驻守华盛顿的开销至少达 6.6 亿美元，该数值还未计入今夏新增增援兵力产生的额外支出。
白宫发言人驳斥了尼斯卡宁中心的分析结论，坚称国民警卫队的驻守有效压低犯罪率、改善华盛顿居民生活品质。
去年 11 月，两名西弗吉尼亚州国民警卫队员巡逻时头部中弹：20 岁陆军专业兵萨拉・贝克斯特伦伤重不治;24 岁空军上士安德鲁・沃尔夫身受重伤，其家人称他至今仍在康复。
30 岁阿富汗籍男子拉赫马努拉・拉坎瓦尔被认定为枪击嫌疑人，庭审中否认全部指控。美国司法部 6 月表态，正在评估是否对其寻求死刑判决。
Hegseth calls protesters 'ingrates' as they try to drown out DC National Guard event
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Thursday dismissed protesters chanting "Guard go home" outside a ceremony in Washington, D.C., honoring National Guard troops as their presence in the nation's capital approaches the one-year mark and has nearly doubled in recent weeks to roughly 5,000 personnel.
"It's the sound of ingrates," Hegseth told a formation of some 250 National Guardsmen gathered at a park nestled in Washington D.C.'s northwest neighborhoods. "People who are so blinded by ideology they can't see law and order and common sense in front of them. There's nothing ideological about this group."
Outside the park, dozens of protesters gathered in front of a security perimeter formed by National Guard troops and law enforcement, chanting through megaphones and blowing whistles while drums and a trombone added to the noise as they sought to drown out the speeches. The peaceful demonstration remained largely uneventful.
Speaking in front of the Meridian Hill Park fountain that was recently repaired by the Department of the Interior after years of being inoperative, Hegseth was joined by National Guard chief Gen. Steven Nordhaus, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard, commander of the District of Columbia National Guard, and senior White House aide Stephen Miller, who has been an architect of the Trump administration's National Guard mission in Washington D.C. Each praised the troops serving in Washington.
The deployment has largely focused on high-visibility patrols through downtown corridors and major tourist areas, far from the city's high-crime areas, along with civic support missions, including trash collection. Troops are commonly armed with 9mm SIG Sauer M17 pistols or 5.56mm M4 rifles.
National Guard troops have been deployed to Washington since last August, with states maintaining a steady rotation of personnel into the city. The broad mission has placed military personnel on civilian streets in an unprecedented domestic role, though National Guard troops retain very limited legal authority.
The National Guard also maintains its constant rotation of units to missionsin Africa, Europe and in the Middle East amid the war with Iran. Troops often serve in a part-time capacity, juggling their Guard duty with typical civilian careers.
The force has been drawn overwhelmingly from Republican-led states. The D.C. National Guard itself accounts for about 500 troops, roughly one-quarter of its force, serving on the mission.
South Carolina has deployed roughly 700 troops, Georgia nearly 800 and Mississippi about 500, according to National Guard figures. Other states with sizable contingents include West Virginia, Nebraska, Florida and Louisiana.
Democratic-led states and U.S. territories have begun sending troops to D.C. in recent weeks, but only for events tied to America's 250th anniversary celebration and an expected surge in tourism.
Earlier this week, Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned she would withdraw her state's troops if they were assigned to President Donald Trump's ongoing "Safe and Beautiful" mission rather than July 4th-related events.
In practice, however, drawing a distinction between holiday security operations and the Guard's broader mission in Washington, D.C., may be difficult. Much of the ongoing mission is already concentrated around the National Mall and downtown transit stations, where tourists and local residents celebrating the holiday are expected to converge, one U.S. official explained. National Guard units from other states are frequently sent to Washington for major events such as presidential inaugurations.
Estimates have shown the Guard deployment is more expensive than using additional police officers or municipal workers.
Ananalysisfrom the Niskanen Center found the cost differential between troops and local law enforcement was roughly $607 per Guardsman per day compared to about $384 per day for a D.C. police officer.
The report also noted that the National Guard’s presence in D.C. has not reduced violent crime but has coincided with a decline in property crimes.
One estimate from the Congressional Budget Office found the National Guard's D.C. footprint will cost at least $660 million this year, but it doesn't account for the additional surge of troops for the summer.
A White House spokeswoman dismissed the Niskanen analysis and insisted the National Guard presence had driven down crime and improved quality of life in the District.
Two National Guard members from West Virginia were shot in the head while on patrol in November. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically injured and is still recovering, his family says.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 30, an Afghan national and suspected gunman, pleaded not guilty to the shootings. The Department of Justice said in June it is determining whether to seek the death penalty.
