In a controversial move announced Monday, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi to explore how military and national security resources could be used to support domestic law enforcement efforts.
The executive order, titled “Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Civilians,” outlines several sweeping initiatives. Among them is the creation of a legal defense framework for law enforcement officers, as well as new federal measures targeting state and local officials who, according to the order, “willfully and unlawfully direct the obstruction of criminal law.” This includes actions such as restricting officers from performing their duties or enforcing certain laws.
Trump’s order also mandates that Hegseth and Bondi determine how military and national security “assets, training, non-lethal capabilities, and personnel” could be most effectively leveraged to prevent crime within the United States.
