Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday administered the oath of enlistment to more than 100 National Guard members near the Washington Monument, according to The Daily Wire, as the Trump administration’s “D.C. Safe and Beautiful” public-safety and cleanup mission continued. The deployment began after President Donald Trump’s Aug. 11, 2025, emergency action in the capital, and has been extended through at least Feb. 28, 2026, according to the Associated Press.
On Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth administered the oath of enlistment to more than 100 National Guard members near the Washington Monument, The Daily Wire reported. The outlet said the recruits represented nine states, including Alabama, Florida and Oklahoma, and were joining what it described as a roughly 2,600-member “D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force.”
The mission traces back to Aug. 11, 2025, when President Donald Trump declared what his administration described as a public-safety “crime emergency,” activated National Guard troops and placed the District’s police department under federal control for a limited period. The Associated Press reported at the time that Trump invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act and said Attorney General Pam Bondi would assume responsibility for the Metropolitan Police Department during the takeover.
The Daily Wire attributed to Hegseth the claim that the task force had helped shift Washington from “lawlessness and graffiti” to a “national symbol of order.” The outlet also described a two-track approach combining joint patrols with local and federal law enforcement and separate “urban restoration” work such as debris removal and snow clearing at federal sites.
Some key operational details mentioned by The Daily Wire — including the names “Task Force Yellow Hammer” and “Joint Task Force Magnolia,” and a claim that teams have cleared more than 500 tons of debris — could not be independently confirmed from major wire-service reporting reviewed for this account.
The administration has extended the Guard mission in the capital through at least Feb. 28, 2026. An order dated Nov. 4, 2025, cited by the Associated Press, said the additional duty was in response to the emergency declared in August and was issued under directions to protect federal property and support law enforcement.
The deployment has also faced legal and political pushback. The Associated Press reported that D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit challenging the federal use of the Guard, and that dozens of states filed briefs on both sides of the dispute.
The Daily Wire reported that Hegseth highlighted improved recruiting and urged a focus on retention, quoting him as saying, “When you reenlist, it means we are doing things the right way,” and describing the assignment as one of the Guard’s “tough missions.”
The ceremony also referenced casualties suffered during the deployment. The Daily Wire said Hegseth announced Purple Hearts would be awarded to Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, posthumously, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. Independent military and state statements confirm that Beckstrom, a West Virginia National Guard soldier, died on Nov. 27, 2025, after being shot the previous day near the Farragut Square Metro Station while on duty in Washington; the D.C. National Guard also confirmed the incident and her death. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey later publicly said the state requested Purple Hearts for Beckstrom and Wolfe.
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, the Daily Wire reported that Hegseth said the capital deserved the presence of men and women who “defend the laws.”
