The Trump administration is reportedly exploring the creation of a 600-member National Guard unit prepared to deploy within an hour to U.S. cities facing civil unrest. According to The Washington Post., the proposed “Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force” would cost hundreds of millions of dollars, equipping troops with weapons and riot gear.
Under the proposal, 300 soldiers would be stationed in Alabama and another 300 in Arizona. The plan follows President Donald Trump’s recent deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., citing “out of control” violent crime, as well as a June deployment to Los Angeles during protests over the administration’s immigration policies—a move currently challenged in court by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Documents reviewed by the Post indicate that National Guard officials discussed the idea as recently as late July and early August. The earliest implementation, via the Pentagon’s standard budget process, would be fiscal year 2027, though alternative funding could accelerate the timeline.
A Defense Department official declined to discuss leaked or pre-decisional plans, stating only that the department routinely prepares for a variety of contingencies.
The internal documents acknowledged potential “political sensitivities” and legal concerns about civil-military balance, as well as operational drawbacks such as personnel strain and reduced state-level availability for emergencies like hurricanes or wildfires.
The 600-troop concept was tested ahead of the 2020 election, with units placed on alert in Arizona and Alabama. While deploying the National Guard for emergencies is common, experts note this plan marks a shift in approach.
Lindsay P. Cohn, a national security affairs professor at the U.S. Naval War College, told the Post the proposal was unusual given current conditions:
“Crime is going down. We don’t have major protests or civil disturbances… There is very little evidence anything big is likely to happen soon.”
The plan’s emergence coincides with “Operation Making D.C. Safe & Beautiful,” a multi-agency effort launched this week involving the National Guard, FBI, and DEA. The White House reported 37 arrests, four narcotics charges, and the seizure of 11 illegal firearms on its first night.
Data from the Metropolitan Police Department shows violent crime in D.C. down 26% year-on-year for the first eight months of 2025, with robberies down 28%. Homicide rates have also declined since 2023, when they hit a 20-year high.
Despite these figures, President Donald Trump claimed at a press conference that 2023’s murder rate was “probably the highest ever,” a statement later attributed by the White House to FBI-provided numbers.
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