U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized members of the National Guard who are patrolling Washington, D.C., to begin carrying weapons on duty.

Nearly 2,000 National Guard troops have been deployed to Washington as part of President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown in the city.

National Guardsman in Washington, D.C. “will soon be on mission with their service-issued weapons, consistent with their mission and training,” a defense official said.