When Donald Trump returned to the White House and began deploying National Guard troops to American cities for immigration enforcement, Janessa Goldbeck was ready. The chief executive of the Vet Voice Foundation, a non-profit advocacy group, had already war-gamed this very scenario.
From War Games to Reality
In 2023, the US Marine veteran consulted on a documentary that simulated a presidential candidate staging a military coup. The following year, she advised local leaders on the hypothetical of troops being deployed to their streets. "It's a little surreal to see something that we've been talking about and thinking about and stressing out about," Goldbeck, 40, stated from her home in San Diego, California.
Since January, Trump has deployed thousands of National Guard personnel to cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis, New Orleans, and Washington DC. This move, which has sparked protests, was anticipated by Goldbeck after reading the Project 2025 policy document. Her foundation, which mobilises veterans and military families to defend democracy, has become a vital resource for governors, state attorneys general, and mayors.
"This year the vast majority of our work has been supporting litigation to halt or slow down national guard deployments," Goldbeck explained. The group provides expert witnesses, trains activists, and advises officials on communications to prevent violence.
The Human Cost of Political Deployment
Contrary to assumptions, not all guardsmen are eager participants. Courts have restricted their role in most cities to guarding federal property. Goldbeck reports a range of sentiments among troops, from boredom to anger at being taken from their families and civilian jobs. "They did not sign up to be ICE... or to police their friends and neighbours," she emphasised.
The dangers became tragically clear last month when two West Virginia National Guard members were ambushed near the White House. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries. "Is the president putting these folks in danger unnecessarily? The answer... is absolutely yes," Goldbeck commented, noting they are "targets of opportunity."
There is also humiliation. In Washington, guardsmen have been seen picking up litter, leading to online mockery. "That's humiliating to our service members," said Goldbeck, highlighting what she sees as Trump's disdain for the military's true ethos.
A Warning for the Election and a Personal Journey
Goldbeck warns these deployments are part of a broader expansion of presidential power and could foreshadow the use of the military around the next election. "It is not American to conduct elections with troops in the streets and to intimidate voters. It's very authoritarian," she stated.
Her own path to the military was unconventional. Raised in San Diego by "vegetarian pacifist Hindu" parents, she studied journalism and activism before joining the Marines at 25 to bridge a gap between humanitarian work and security forces. Her family was initially "horrified," a stark contrast to their supportive reaction when she came out as gay.
After seven years as a combat engineer officer, she left in 2019 due to her mother's illness and Trump's election, feeling she could not remain silent in uniform. She now leads the Vet Voice Foundation, representing some 2 million veterans and family members.
The foundation also focuses on protecting public lands and advocating for female service members' access to abortion care. Goldbeck recently testified about voter roll purges that could disproportionately affect frequently moving military personnel.
She argues the military's apolitical nature is under threat, aided by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom she calls "the least qualified person who ever led the department of defense." His comments against women in combat roles are particularly infuriating to Goldbeck, who helped repeal the ban on female infantry officers. "This administration is doing... generational harm to the professionalism and the apolitical nature of the military," she concluded.
