Repeated National Guard missions in DC trigger frustration, denials 1 hour ago A member of the National Guard stands outside the Library of Congress in Washington on April 17, 2021. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images) WASHINGTON — Three months after more than 25,000 National Guard troops poured into the nation’s capital to secure President Joe Biden’s inauguration, Defense Department and Guard officials are losing patience and are denying some of the city’s recurring requests for troops to protect D.C. According to defense officials, the Army on Monday approved only about a quarter of the Guard troops requested by city officials to provide security in case of unrest after the upcoming verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin. The D.C. National Guard confirmed that acting Army Secretary John Whitley has approved the deployment of 250 troops, but officials said the city’s initial request was for as many as 1,000.