The National Guardsmen deployed to Washington by US President Donald Trump are now armed, US media reported late on Sunday, citing a statement from the force.
From Sunday evening, soldiers were carrying firearms, media outlets including broadcaster NBC and newspaper The New York Times reported.
The troops would be authorized to use the weapons for self-defence "as a last resort" in response to an "imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm," according to a spokesperson cited by the media outlets.
A dpa enquiry to the National Guard initially went unanswered.
The Washington Post newspaper reported that a total of 2,200 National Guardsmen had been deployed to the US capital.
Earlier this month, Trump activated the National Guard to address allegedly out-of-control crime levels in the US capital, which is governed by a Democratic mayor. Trump spoke of a "crime-infested rat hole." He also placed the local police force under federal control.
His actions are highly controversial and have triggered protests.
Police statistics and information from the Washington district attorney's office do not provide evidence of a rise in crime. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser has also disputed Trump's account, noting the city's lowest crime rates in 30 years.
The National Guard troops are increasingly visible in the cityscape, including at locations that are frequented by tourists but are not known as particular hotspots for violence or crime.
According to reports, Trump is considering initiating similar measures in Democratic-led Chicago next.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called such deployment "unlawful" and Trump's approach "uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound."
"Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement," Johnson continued, adding that homicides, robberies and shootings have dropped significantly over the past year.
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