Secretary of War Pete Hegseth this afternoon said that President Donald J. Trump has requested he order 500 additional National Guardsmen to Washington in the wake of today's shooting of two guardsmen near the White House.
Hegseth made the announcement from the steps of the Dominican Republic's National Palace, where he had spent the afternoon meeting with the country's senior leadership.
"After those meetings, [my team and I] were notified that two National Guardsmen had been shot in Washington, D.C., critically wounded by a shooter [and] shot in a cowardly, dastardly act targeting the best of America," Hegseth told the media.
"It will not stand, and that's why President Trump has asked me, and I will ask the secretary of the Army to [tell] the National Guard to add 500 additional troops — National Guardsmen — to Washington, D.C.," he continued.
At a press conference, FBI Director Kash Patel said that two West Virginia National Guardsmen had been shot within the vicinity of the White House. The two guardsmen were taken to a local hospital and are listed in critical condition.
D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said that a suspect is in custody and was also taken to a local hospital after being injured.
During Hegseth's brief remarks in the Dominican Republic, he hailed the two shooting victims.
"[They're] heroes willing to serve in Washington, D.C., [to] serve for people they don't know and they've never met. Because they love their country and their capital and their community, they were willing to do dangerous things," Hegseth said.
The secretary added that today's incident will "only strengthen" the resolve of those who aim to improve cities like Washington, which he noted has seen a noticeable reduction in crime since the National Guard first deployed to the nation's capital in August.
"The drop in crime has been historic. The increase in safety and security has been historic. But if criminals want to conduct things like this — violence against America's best — we will never back down," Hegseth said.