Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is sending 316 National Guard members to Washington, D.C. following President Trump’s August 11 declaration of a crime emergency in the capital.
According to Kemp, 16 support staff (medical, PA, and military police) already arrived this week at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, with about 300 soldiers scheduled to deploy in mid-September.
What They’ll Actually Be Doing
The Georgia Guard members will join over 2,200 National Guard troops from seven other states as part of Joint Task Force-District of Columbia (JTF-DC). Their main job? Providing “visible presence” to back up local law enforcement.
Kemp framed the deployment as supporting the Trump administration’s mission to ensure “the security and beauty of our nation’s capital.” The 16 support staff already in D.C. won’t have direct contact with civilians, according to the governor’s office.
The larger group of 300 soldiers will relieve service members who’ve been stationed in D.C. since the mission started. Depending on their specific assignments, some Guard members may be armed while working under civilian law enforcement direction.
The Politics Behind the Deployment
This deployment comes as Kemp navigates his on-again-off-again relationship with Trump. The two Republicans have clashed repeatedly since 2020, when Kemp refused to overturn Georgia’s election results. Trump has publicly attacked Kemp multiple times, even endorsing his primary opponent in 2022.
But now, with Trump back in office and declaring emergencies and asking for state cooperation, Kemp is responding to the call. The deployment of National Guard Troops to D.C. is a hot-button issue nationally, with Trump supporters saying crime has gotten out of control while critics say the move is largely political and is an authoritarian power grab.
What Else Georgia’s Guard Is Doing
This isn’t Georgia’s only National Guard deployment right now. The state also has Guard members supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations within Georgia, though those troops handle only administrative and logistics tasks at ICE facilities, not field operations.
The governor’s office said these deployments won’t affect the Guard’s ability to respond to emergencies at home.
Georgia’s National Guard includes more than 14,000 soldiers and airmen total. The D.C. deployment represents about 2% of that force, Kemp’s office said.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
