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Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter

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Defense &
National Security

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The Big Story

Trump administration surges military forces to Los Angeles

The U.S. military is set to deploy about 700 Marines to Los Angeles, further increasing military presence in and around the city after the Trump administration ordered 2,000 California National Guard troops there over the weekend.

©Eric Thayer/Associated Press

The command has activated the Marine infantry battalion that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth placed on “prepare to deploy” orders over the weekend amid ongoing protests against raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to a Monday statement from Northern Command.

Approximately 700 Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, based out of Twentynine Palms in California, “will seamlessly integrate” with the National Guard troops already deployed to Los Angeles to protect federal personnel and property, Northcom said.

The command noted that the Marines had been “trained in de-escalation, crowd control, and standing rules for the use of force.”

Hegseth in a post on X later noted the deployment, attributing it to increased threats to federal officers and buildings.

“We have an obligation to defend federal law enforcement officers – even if Gavin Newsom will not,” Hegseth wrote.

It is unclear whether the Marines will actually be placed on the ground or if they will remain on standby. However, Newsom’s press office stated that it was their understanding that the service members are not yet being deployed, as there is a distinction between deployment and mobilization.

In a statement posted to X, Newsom’s press office also bashed the movement of Marines as “mobilizing the best-in-class branch of the U.S. military against its own citizens.”

“The level of escalation is completely unwarranted, uncalled for, and unprecedented,” the office added.

Later on Monday, Newsom said Trump is deploying 2,000 additional National Guard troops to Los Angeles, bringing the total to 4,000.

The move is likely to further inflame tensions between California officials and the Trump administration, which have locked horns over how to respond to protests in Los Angeles and surrounding suburbs against federal immigration raids.

President Trump has insisted the deployment – only the second time in the past 60 years that a U.S. president has mobilized a state’s National Guard troops without the consent of its governor – is necessary to stop protests against ICE.

But Newson has accused the Pentagon of “lying to the American people” in justifying the deployment of service members within the state, asserting that the situation intensified only when the U.S. military deployed troops.

Read the full report at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

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Essential Reads

How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:

California files lawsuit against Trump for deploying National Guard to Los Angeles

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and the state’s attorney general filed their much-anticipated lawsuit over President Trump’s decision to send in California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell immigration protests, calling it an “unprecedented power grab.” Filed in federal court in San Francisco on Monday afternoon, the suit asks a federal judge to block Trump’s authorization as an unconstitutional …

Full Story

Trump sends troops to Los Angeles after immigration crackdown protests: What to know

President Trump authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops, following days of protests against immigration enforcement actions in the Los Angeles area. The rare move bypassed the consent of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and has garnered criticism from local Democrats who warned the move could further inflame tensions. The federalizing of the California National Guard also has prompted some legal questions about …

Full Story

Newsom: Pentagon lying over LA to justify National Guard deployment

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Monday accused the Defense Department of “lying to the American people” in justifying deploying National Guard troops to the state to quell Los Angeles protests against federal immigration raids, asserting that the situation intensified only when the Pentagon deployed troops. “The situation became escalated when THEY deployed troops,” Newsom posted to X, referring …

Full Story

On Our Radar

Upcoming things we’re watching on our beat:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine will appear before the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee to testify on the Pentagon’s fiscal 2026 budget request at 9:30 a.m.
Navy Secretary John Phelan, Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith will testify on the Navy and Marine Corp’s fiscal 2026 budget request before the Senate Armed Services Committee at 9:30 a.m.
U.S. Central Command head Gen. Michael Kurilla and Gen. Michael Langley, head of U.S. Africa Command, will testify on current challenges and the fiscal 2026 budget request before the House Armed Services Committee at 10 a.m.

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In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Vance, Newsom spar over Los Angeles: ‘Do your job’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Vice President Vance on Monday sparred on social media over the situation in the Los Angeles area. The back-and-forth between the governor and the vice president started with Newsom responding to comments from President Trump, who said he would support arresting …

Full Story

On Tap Tomorrow

Events in and around the defense world:

The Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association will hold its virtual 2025 Army Data Summit on “Managing AI Data,” at 7 a.m.
Government Executive Media Group will host a conversation on “Accelerating Mission Technologies Across All Domains,” at 8 a.m.
Hudson Institute will discuss “Defending in Outer Space,” with Rep. Jeff Crank, (R-Colo.), at 8:45 a.m.
Hudson Institute also will host a talk on “Adapting the U.S. Nuclear Posture in Response to Adversary Threats,” at 10 a.m.
Atlantic Council will discuss “Russia’s War and the Hague Summit,” with Senate Foreign Relations ranking member Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), at 12 p.m.
The House Appropriations Committee will hold a markup of the FY-2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies bill at 2 p.m.

What We’re Reading

News we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Bipartisan House proposal aims to speed up defense acquisition work (Military Times)
Military spouses fight back against Pentagon book bans (Military.com)
Canada plans to hit NATO spending target early and reduce reliance on US defense, Carney says (The Associated Press)

Trending Today

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

Mark Green to resign from House after final vote on ‘big, beautiful bill’

Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) on Monday said he plans to resign from Congress after the House holds a final vote on the party’s “big, beautiful bill,” … Read more

Pam Bondi’s brother crushed in DC Bar Association election

Brad Bondi, the brother of Attorney General Pam Bondi, overwhelmingly lost his bid to lead the D.C. Bar Association in a race with record turnout, … Read more

Opinions in The Hill

Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:

What the US can learn from Ukraine’s remarkable Operation Spider Web
Unfixable FEMA puts the ‘disaster’ into ‘disaster recovery’
Trump got this one right: A smaller National Security Council staff is actually a good thing