Overview

• Gov. Jeff Landry asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to authorize activation of up to 1,000 Louisiana National Guard personnel through the end of fiscal year 2026.
• The letter outlines deployments to urban centers such as New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport to supplement policing, provide logistics and communications, and protect critical infrastructure.
• Landry announced the request on Fox News and framed it as building on federal partnerships, citing Washington and Memphis as models.
• Local pushback highlights recent crime declines, with New Orleans on pace for its lowest homicide count in decades and Baton Rouge homicides down even as some other offenses rise.
• The request is under Pentagon review against a backdrop of recent or planned federally supported Guard operations in cities like Washington, Los Angeles, Portland, and Chicago that have drawn legal and political challenges.