The Pentagon said Friday that National Guard members deployed in Washington, D.C. will soon be carrying service-issued weapons while supporting law enforcement efforts in the city.

An official told The Hill that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had signed an order authorizing the move, which the White House previewed over the weekend.

“At the direction of the Secretary of Defense, JTF-DC members supporting the mission to lower the crime rate in our Nation’s capital will soon be on mission with their service-issued weapons, consistent with their mission and training," the Pentagon official said in a statement on Friday.

The Pentagon and the Army last week said military members — nearly 2,000 are now deployed in the city from units in D.C. and six states — would not be armed in the city.

However, the White House on Saturday indicated that would change, releasing a statement saying National Guard troops “may be armed, consistent with their mission and training, to protect federal assets, provide a safe environment for law enforcement officers to make arrests, and deter violent crime with a visible law enforcement presence.”

The Pentagon statement on Friday said, "The Interim Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard retains the authority to make any necessary force posture adjustments in coordination with the D.C. Metropolitan Police and Federal law enforcement partners."

President Trump invoked section 704 of the Home Rule Act on Aug. 11 to retain federal control of local police forces, shifting operations to help with federal immigration enforcement efforts in addition to assaults on drug trafficking and violent crime. 

On Thursday, the president met with police and military members in Washington to encourage their ongoing efforts.

“It’s like a different place, different city,” Trump said of D.C. “Now, I think right now it’s better than it has been in years and in a couple of weeks, it’s going to be far better."

“You got to be strong, you got to be tough," Trump said to the soldiers he spoke with on Thursday. "You got to do your job. Whatever it takes to do your job."

Hegseth, a former National Guard member, paid a visit to about 300 Guard members at the D.C. Armory on Thursday, thanking troops who he said were on the "frontlines of safeguarding our nation and setting an example for the country."

Several GOP led states to include West Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Ohio  and South Carolina have sent their National Guard to D.C.

Most D.C. residents are opposed to the federal takeover, despite seeing crime as a problem in the city. Local leaders and former federal officials say deploying soldiers could potentially incite more violence due to their lack of training on community policing.