Hegseth Authorizes Troops to Carry Personal Guns on Base Starting Today

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Thursday that he was lifting a ban on service members’ ability to carry personal firearms on U.S. military bases. "Our warfighters defend the rights to carry. They should be able to carry themselves," Hegseth said in a video posted on social platform X. The memo directs installation commanders to allow troops to carry personal weapons while on duty, reversing a policy that had restricted firearm possession to military police and security personnel.

The change affects every military installation in the United States, from Fort Hood in Texas to Camp Pendleton in California. Hegseth's directive requires base commanders to establish guidelines for when and where personal firearms can be carried, though the memo gives commanders broad discretion to set restrictions based on mission requirements. The Pentagon has not released details on whether troops will need permits or training beyond standard military qualifications.

The policy shift comes as military bases house more than 1.3 million active-duty personnel and hundreds of thousands of civilian employees and family members. Military police units have expressed concerns about distinguishing between authorized personal weapons and potential threats during active shooter situations. Base security protocols will need updating to account for the presence of privately owned firearms among service members.

The firearm policy change emerged as President Trump revealed that families of 13 service members killed in the Iran operation have urged him to intensify military action. "Every single one of the people, their loved ones, said, 'Please, sir, please finish the job,'" Trump said during his Wednesday night address on Operation Epic Fury. The fallen service members, ranging in age from 20 to 54, died in separate incidents including a March 1 drone strike in Kuwait and a March 12 refueling plane crash in Iraq.

Military legal offices must now review state and federal laws governing concealed carry permits on federal property. The Defense Department has not specified whether troops from states with strict gun laws can carry weapons on bases in those jurisdictions. Commanders have 30 days to submit their base-specific implementation plans to the Office of the Secretary of Defense for review.

The president has traveled twice to Dover Air Force Base to honor the 13 fallen service members as their remains returned to U.S. soil. "I wanted to be with those heroes as they returned to American soil," Trump said. "And I was with them and their families, their parents, their wives, their husbands." The administration's military posture appears influenced by these personal appeals, with Trump vowing to "hit them extremely hard over the next 2 to 3 weeks."

Installation commanders must now balance the new firearm policy with existing security measures that have been in place since the 2015 Chattanooga recruiting station shooting. The policy affects everything from gate security procedures to workplace safety protocols in military offices and facilities. Commanders who fail to implement the new policy face removal from their positions, according to defense officials familiar with the memo's contents.