Troops at Home: What the Military Is Doing on U.S. Soil

Base survival plans, grave-digging drills, a 23,500-troop riot force and Guard units near polling places. Here is every military mission running on U.S. soil, and what the record says they mean.

By Rich Vandall · Oct. 29, 2026

The bottom line: the evidence points to two real things, not one secret plan. First, the military is preparing for a bigger war abroad. The U.S. has been at war with Iran since Feb. 28, and the President has said more strikes are possible after the Nov. 3 election. Second, the National Guard is being used at home more than at any time in decades, increasingly alongside police and immigration agents. The Despoiler found no evidence that the Pentagon expects an attack on American soil. The week to watch is election week.

At a glance: what's running now

Nine military missions are active or standing by inside the U.S. Six put troops alongside police or federal agents, two are about preparing for war, and one, the election mission, is still unclear.

Also standing: the Golden Dome missile-defense program, whose early version isn't expected before 2028 (Colorado Politics).

By the numbers

The on-call riot force is the largest number here, but it is a standby roster, not troops on the street. The border remains the biggest actual deployment.

Where troops meet police

The legal line that matters is a duty status, not a uniform. The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act generally bars federal troops from civilian law enforcement. Guard members kept under their governor's control (Title 32) are not covered by it, even on a federally funded mission (CSMonitor). That is how most of today's missions work.

• Title 10 (federal control): the border mission. Troops can detain people in "National Defense Areas" — military land along the border — working with Border Patrol (Wikipedia: National Defense Area).
• Title 32 (governor's control, federal money): ICE support in 20 Republican-led states, and the Memphis task force. The Pentagon switched ICE support to this status in July 2025, saying the work may require direct contact with people in ICE custody (Pentagon statement).
• D.C.: the District's Guard answers to the President, so the capital mission needs no governor. Troops there began carrying service weapons in August 2025 (Yahoo/CNN).

Courts have pushed back. Guard deployments to Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland were shortened by lawsuits and withdrawn in January 2026 (American Oversight). A judge ruled the D.C. mission unlawful in November 2025, but an appeals court let it continue (Task & Purpose).

The bigger lever hasn't been pulled. The Insurrection Act lets a president use troops for arrests and searches. President Trump threatened to invoke it during the January 2026 Minneapolis protests over a shooting by federal agents, then said it wasn't needed "right now" (Fox News). It was last used in 1992 (WUSF/NPR).

This fall's new moves, and what each is for

Each of the four developments worrying people has a stated purpose and a paper trail. Two point abroad, two point home.

FORTRESS (points abroad). Its goal is keeping bases running if a major war knocks out the grid; it was announced Sept. 30 with no budget or deadline yet (IBTimes). It follows years of base microgrid work, including at Wright-Patt. See our companion story, “Fortress America, Fortress Pantry? The 90-Day Number, Explained”.

Operation Dragon Covenant (points abroad). The battlefield-burial drill exists because a war with a major power may not allow flying the dead home, as Iraq and Afghanistan did (Army Times). Phase III isn't until spring 2027, a slow timeline for something urgent.

The Quick Reaction Force (points home). An August 2025 executive order told every state to keep Guard troops ready to quell civil disturbances; an Oct. 8, 2025 memo set roughly 500 per large state, 23,500 total, operational by Jan. 1, 2026 (The Hill). Training includes batons, shields, stun guns and pepper spray (Cactus Politics). On Oct. 26, Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly asked who commands it and whether it has trained for election-related unrest; they set an Oct. 28 deadline (Slotkin). The Despoiler has seen no public answer yet.

The election mission (points home). Ken Klippenstein reported Oct. 28 that Guard units in all 50 states are mobilizing for the midterms, mainly for cybersecurity but also observing drop boxes and polling places (Klippenstein). The Pentagon hasn't confirmed a nationwide list (YourNews). In Washington state, Gov. Bob Ferguson offered county auditors plainclothes Guard members to watch drop boxes (Raw Story). Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine wrote there are no plans to send federal troops or federalized Guard to polling places — a promise that doesn't cover Guard under governors (YourNews).

We at The Despoiler have followed Ken Klippenstein's reporting for years and consider him a credible source.

Guard election cyber work itself isn't new. What's new is the reported scale and the in-person watching.

Does it mean something? The evidence

Yes, but not the thing most people fear. The record supports war preparation abroad and a growing domestic role for the Guard. It does not support a coming attack on American soil.

Evidence the war-prep is real and current

• The U.S. and Israel began striking Iran on Feb. 28, 2026 (Congressional Research Service). The war has run about eight months.
• A Pentagon assessment found munitions spending in the war caused strategic inventory shortfalls (CRS).
• Asked about striking Iran after the midterms, the President said anything is possible; military options are being readied (Fox News).
• The Wall Street Journal reported he told Gulf allies to prepare for a short, intense campaign after the election (Al Jazeera).
• The Army is also planning around China, testing high-altitude balloons along the first island chain (Army Times).

Evidence the domestic role is growing

• A standing 23,500-troop civil-disturbance force now exists in every state.
• The D.C. mission has run since August 2025 and is extended to Dec. 31.
• Guard troops do ICE processing work in 20 states.
• The 50-state election mission Klippenstein's military sources describe nearly doubles the previous high of 27 states in 2018.

Evidence against the scariest readings

• FORTRESS has no budget or deadline, and the graves drill's next phase is six months out. Neither looks like a countdown.
• The 90-day standard is for bases. No government advises households to stock more than two weeks (see our companion story).
• Domestic deployments have shrunk since summer: D.C. fell from 5,148 to 2,921; L.A., Chicago and Portland ended in January.
• The Insurrection Act has not been invoked.
• Guard election cyber support has been routine since 2018.

What we can't confirm

• How many Guard members are on election duty in each state; the Pentagon has released no numbers.
• Whether the Quick Reaction Force has trained for election unrest. Senators asked; no public answer yet.
• Current troop counts for ICE support and Memphis.

How we got here

Oldest first.

What to watch

These are the signals that would actually change the picture. The Despoiler will track them.

• ☐ Election week (Nov. 3): any Guard federalized, or uniformed troops at polling places
• ☐ The Pentagon's answer to Slotkin and Kelly on Quick Reaction Force command and election training
• ☐ Insurrection Act: any invocation, anywhere
• ☐ Iran: renewed strikes after the election, and any homeland-threat bulletins that follow
• ☐ D.C. mission: whether it ends Dec. 31 or is extended again
• ☐ Memphis: whether Guard patrols return
• ☐ FORTRESS: a budget, a deadline, or a list of bases — and what it means for Wright-Patterson
• ☐ Dragon Covenant Phase III, spring 2027

Seen troops or Guard activity in the Miami Valley? Send tips to thedespoilerdayton@proton.me or via Signal.

Related: Fortress America, Fortress Pantry? The 90-Day Number, Explained