Pentagon Authorizes Service Members To Keep Personal Firearms

Off-duty service members may soon be able to carry privately owned firearms on U.S. military bases under a new order issued Thursday by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The directive tells installation commanders to presume approval when troops request permission to carry a privately- owned firearm for personal protection on base, reversing policies that largely limited personal weapons to law enforcement or training. The move follows a string of shootings on military installations and raises questions about enforcement, safety and how armed personnel will operate alongside existing security forces.

Military.com reached out for comment to the Defense Department, Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Carrying personal firearms on base has long been tightly restricted, even though commanders have had authority to approve exceptions under certain conditions. In practice, most installations limited privately owned firearms outside of specific circumstances, effectively keeping large portions of bases off-limits for personal carry.

“The memo I’m signing today directs installation commanders to allow requests for personal protection to carry a privately owned firearm with the presumption that it is necessary,” Hegseth said Thursday in a video posted online. Under the directive, any denial must be issued in writing and include a detailed explanation. It places new accountability on commanders and expands the number of armed personnel on base. Base Attacks Fuel Push to Arm Troops The policy follows years of scrutiny over security gaps at military installations, particularly after high-profile attacks.

A 2019 shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola killed three U.S. sailors and wounded several others, prompting a series of security changes across installations. More recent incidents at installations including Fort Stewart and Holloman Air Force Base have renewed concerns about response times and the ability to quickly stop threats inside controlled environments. “Recent events like what happened at Fort Stewart, Holloman Air Force Base or Pensacola Naval Air Station have made clear that some threats are closer to home than we would like,” Hegseth said.

“In these instances, minutes are a lifetime,” he added. The policy leans on that argument, suggesting trained service members already on base could respond in the early moments of an attack. Hegseth Frames Policy as ‘God-Given Right’ Hegseth framed the move as both a self-defense measure and a constitutional issue, arguing that service members should not face stricter limits than civilians. “Our warfighters are no less entitled to exercise their God-given right to keep and bear arms than any other American,” he said.

The emphasis on Second Amendment protections marks a shift in how the Pentagon publicly justifies on-base firearm policy, expanding beyond force protection into broader constitutional framing. He added that threats are not always external. “Not all enemies are foreign, nor are they all outside our border,” he said.

The directive leaves details to interpretation, including how privately owned firearms will be carried, stored and integrated with existing security protocols—along with questions about how armed service members will operate alongside military police and base security forces, particularly at entry gates, housing areas and other high-traffic or sensitive locations. The policy also introduces legal and operational challenges, including how federal installation rules will align with state firearm laws and whether expanded access could complicate response efforts during emergencies or active threats.

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