Deploying troops to DC is an affront to America's veterans | Opinion

Every Veterans Day, Americans honor the people who have served our country in uniform. We recognize their sacrifices, their courage and their commitment to defending the U.S. Constitution.

This year, we must also confront a troubling question: What happens when our government turns the military's considerable power toward the very communities whose freedoms our service members swear to protect?

The deployment of National Guard troops onto the streets of Washington, DC, raises that question with particular urgency.

President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard in response to a supposed emergency, but it's clear that the ongoing deployment has nothing to do with safety. Instead, it risks transforming the landscape of ordinary civilian life with the presence of uniformed soldiers in American neighborhoods.

Military's mission isn't civilian law enforcement

As a retired Army major general, I believe deeply in the mission of our armed forces and the importance of civilian leadership. Our armed forces have a vital mission.

Service members train to confront serious threats, operate under demanding circumstances and carry out missionsthat require discipline, judgment and sacrifice. For the National Guard, its primary duty is to support states in the case of emergencies, like natural disasters.

My respect for the military is also why I believe we must keep its role distinct from civilian law enforcement. Communities need local institutions that understand their residents, respect their constitutional rights and answer to the people they serve.

In the nation's capital, the debate over the National Guard is not just about public safety. It is also about who gets to make decisions affecting both people's daily lives and the functioning of our democracy.

Washington, DC, faces special challenges

Washington, DC, faces a particularly serious challenge in this regard. Its residents live under a system that already gives the federal government exceptional power over local affairs.

Due to its lack of statehood, Congress can overturn local laws and dictate how the district uses its own locally raised tax dollars.

District of Columbia residents deserve power over how their communities are policed and the same democratic rights as residents of every state. Instead, their neighborhoods have become a testing ground for expanded federal power.

Americans want safe streets. They want to walk their neighborhoods, visit their local coffee shops, raise their families and participate in public life without fear.

These are reasonable expectations, and government leaders have a responsibility to address them. The presence of soldiers cannot build lasting public safety.

Deployments also carry consequences for the institution I spent my career serving. The American people should be able to trust that their armed forces will uphold their constitutional obligations and carry out their proper mission.

Our military's credibility depends in part on the American public understanding the military's role and respecting the limits of its authority. Congress and national leaders must protect those boundaries. We need a clear commitment from elected leaders to preserve civilian control over local public safety and to reject routine military deployments in American neighborhoods.

Congress should protect Washington's ability to govern itself and stop micromanaging its local government. Federal leaders should respect the constitutional rights of residents and recognize the importance of civilian accountability.

Here's how to honor U.S. military this Veterans Day

When communities face public safety challenges, officials should not send troops in against the community's will.

What happens in the nation's capital can establish a precedent for federal action in cities across the country. Every American, regardless of party, has a stake in a military that fulfills its constitutional mission and a government that respects the rights of the people.

This Veterans Day, honoring military service requires more than expressing gratitude. It requires protecting the principles that give that service meaning.

Our veterans swore an oath to the Constitution. Our elected leaders owe that Constitution the same fidelity.

And every American community deserves the freedom to live without the routine presence of military forces in its streets.

The best way to honor those who have worn the uniform is to preserve the democracy they serve.

Retired Army Major Gen. Randy Manner served his country for 36 years in a variety of positions around the world, beginning as a ranger in the 82d Airborne Division. He served as the deputy commanding general of the U.S. Third Army, responsible for all Army forces in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, and served as acting vice chief of the National Guard Bureau.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Deploying troops to DC is an affront to America's veterans | Opinion

Reporting by Randy Manner, Opinion contributor / USA TODAY

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This story was originally published November 10, 2026 at 3:03 AM.