Some National Guard troops in Washington have begun carrying weapons as they patrol streets in the nation’s capital, a Pentagon spokesperson said Sunday.

Members of the Joint Task Force-DC began carrying service-issue weapons Sunday evening, the spokesperson said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed an order last week authorizing the move.

The directive stipulates that the use of force is only permitted “as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm,” according to a statement from a Pentagon spokesperson.

“JTF-DC remains committed to protecting the safety and wellbeing of the residents of the District of Columbia,” the spokesperson added.

A defense official told The Associated Press only troops on certain mission would carry guns, including those patrolling the nation’s capital. Others assigned to working in transportation or administration would likely remain unarmed, the AP reported.

The move comes as the presence of National Guard troops in the nation’s capital has grown throughout the last week, as more Republican governors have responded to President Trump’s call to crack down on crime by deploying troops to the city.

As of Sunday, 2,274 National Guard troops were deployed to patrol the capital, including 934 from the D.C. National Guard, 455 from West Virginia, 259 from South Carolina, 179 from Mississippi, 160 from Tennessee, 150 from Ohio and 137 from Louisiana.

As the White House eyes an expansion of its efforts to combat crime, Trump has threatened to dispatch troops to other cities, such as Baltimore and Chicago, sparking pushback from local leaders.