​​​​​​WASHINGTON

Senior Pentagon officials defended the legality and scope of President Donald Trump’s nationwide National Guard deployments on Thursday, as they faced pointed questions from lawmakers who warned that the missions lacked clear justification and risked misusing military personnel.

The Senate Armed Services Committee opened the session by noting the significance of the inquiry into the domestic use of military forces. Sen. Tammy Duckworth criticized the administration’s approach.

“If we stand by while this administration pursues another irresponsible, open-ended campaign with no defined mission, no clear authorities, no set timeline and no transparent end state, we fail their families, and we fail the American people,” said Duckworth.

She argued that thousands of troops were deployed “under false pretenses,” performing tasks such as spreading mulch and picking up trash in Washington, DC -- duties she said neither advanced military readiness nor improved public safety.

Duckworth contended that the deployments diverted personnel from their primary missions, and are serving US President Donald Trump's “personal bidding,” including patrolling tourist areas in the nation’s capital or entering cities where residents were protesting administration policies. “These deployments do not make our streets safer,” she said. “In fact, it is just the opposite.”

Officials cite constitutional, legal framework

In opening remarks, Mark Ditlevson, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for Homeland Defense and Americas Security Affairs, defended the agency’s posture, emphasizing that all National Guard activities operate within established law.

“Our efforts are guided by a comprehensive legal and policy framework, undergirded, most importantly, by the Constitution of the United States,” Ditlevson told the senators. He said strict adherence to legal boundaries was essential for good order, discipline and the integrity of military operations.

Charles Young, principal deputy general counsel for the Defense Department, underscored that federal law enforcement operations benefited from military support.

“Our federal law enforcement officers can more safely perform their legal functions, and obstructions to the proper execution of federal laws are being removed,” Young said in opening remarks.

Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of US Northern Command, detailed the breadth of current Guard missions under NORTHCOM’s authority.

He said National Guard members are “defending against ballistic missile threats, protecting national airspace, supporting federal law enforcement and helping seal and repel illegal activity at the southern border."

Guillot reported that military personnel had detained "only one civilian" during the recent deployments. He said the June 13 incident occurred when an individual crossed a marked boundary outside the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles and was held temporarily until local law enforcement arrived, an action he said conformed to policy.

"Forces are present to protect federal property and federal personnel in the execution of their responsibility to enforce federal law, not to replace them," he said.

The commander stressed that state, local and federal police remain responsible for public safety, while the military’s objectives are “safety and continuity of federal functions and, if necessary, de-escalation, not confrontation.”

Trump ordered 500 more troops after a Nov. 26 shooting near the White House that killed one National Guard member and injured another.

He has authorized National Guard deployments to several US cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland and Memphis, since June this year, primarily to address protests against mass deportation raids, immigration enforcement and urban crime.