More: Concerning as that seems, Guardsmen I spoke to regard the deployment as pointless political theater. (California Guardsmen made the same point to me about their deployment earlier this summer.)

"Huge waste of time and money when their focus is [supposed to be] saving money," a DC National Guard source told me.

If the nearly half dozen Guardsmen I've spoken to about the deployment are at all representative, frustration with the order is widespread. (The memo I obtained, along with other details, leaked almost immediately.) As in the case of Los Angeles, the soldiers seemed most incensed by how performative and unnecessary they saw the mission as. This opposition apparently led some but not all Guardsmen to decline other requests to deploy voluntarily.

"I said no immediately because it's like signing up for the Gestapo," the Guard source said. "But I'm sure people will volunteer because they need the money or benefits from being on orders over 30 days."