The cost of stationing National Guard personnel in Washington, DC, is around $600 per guardsman per day—almost double the cost of hiring an additional police officer.

Almost exactly one year ago, on August 11, 2025, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14333 officially deploying US National Guard personnel to the streets of Washington, DC. At the time, Trump cited safety concerns to justify the deployment, claiming that they could help reduce crime in America’s capital.

In the weeks that followed, hundreds of National Guard personnel, including both the DC National Guard and Guard units from South Carolina, West Virginia, and Georgia, began to deploy to Washington. The Department of Defense has extended the deployment multiple times, and current plans call for the troops to remain in place through January 20, 2029, when the next president enters office. As of this week, the number of National Guard personnel deployed in the city surged to 4,622, with the federal troops spotted at street corners in small groups across the district. 

The president’s supporters have pointed to a reduction in crime during 2025 and 2026 as proof that the deployment is working as intended. Critics have argued that these factors had little to do with the guardsmen themselves, as they lack the power to make arrests. They have also contended that, even if the two factors are linked, the deployment of reserve soldiers who must be taken away from their civilian jobs and housed in the district is an extremely expensive way to achieve a lower crime rate relative to simply hiring more local police officers.

On the latter point, at least, the naysayers have new ammunition. Given the number of personnel and the timeline, the Department of Defense recently estimated that the cost of the deployment is expected to top $1.4 billion by 2029. Much of the money is going towards short-term housing rentals in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, which has been projected to cost about $4,055 per guardsman per month. That estimate assumes that the number of personnel is reduced to 2,500, following a surge in their presence during this summer’s 250th anniversary events.

National Guardsmen “Make DC Safe and Beautiful,” Trump Says

The National Guard deployment in Washington was part of a larger push by Trump to send US military personnel to American cities to address crime. Trump has repeatedly claimed that “blue cities,” or cities governed by elected officials from the Democratic Party, are dangerous and crime-infested, doubling down this week during an Oval Office press conference.

“The blue cities have something in common: crime, high crime, vicious, violent crime,” Trump said. “But what do they have in common? They’re all dirty. They’re filthy dirty.”

Although he declined to name a specific city, he added, “Everything about the place is dirty.”

The deployment of military personnel in Washington was part of Trump’s “Make DC Safe and Beautiful” mission, which literally included picking up trash, removing graffiti, and performing other groundskeeping and beautification tasks. Troops in camouflage uniforms have been spotted around Lafayette Park, the National Mall, the Tidal Basin, and the neighborhoods in Southeast DC.

Even as the troops might be a physical deterrent to crime—they are armed with M17 semi-automatic sidearms and M4 carbines—it remains unclear what impact they are having in practical terms. As noted, its personnel can’t make arrests. Supporters of the deployment have suggested that by stationing the troops in safer areas, the Capitol Police can focus on parts of the city with heavier crime. Yet the Niskanen Center, a DC policy think tank, reported that the cost of local law enforcement was around $384 per day for a DC police officer, but was roughly $607 per day for a guardsman.

Directing money towards authorized law enforcement would be cheaper, and the police would have the authority to conduct arrests, which, again, the National Guard does not have.

Violent crime had also been on a steady decline nationwide, but also in DC before the troops were deployed. There has been a further reduction of property crime, however—suggesting that thieves seeking targets of opportunity may think twice about committing a crime in front of guardsmen, even if they cannot actually arrest them.

But given that additional police and other city-wide resources could have resulted in a similar outcome, it may be difficult to justify the cost to maintain the presence for another two and a half years. And the optics of having armed soldiers patrolling the nation’s capital, particularly on America’s 250th birthday, are not ideal, either.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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