The 4,000 California National Guard soldiers who President Donald Trump surged into Los Angeles remain unpaid due to delays in issuing official activation orders, leaving compensation and benefits in limbo.
According to more than a dozen Guardsmen across four units who spoke to Military.com, none has received formal activation orders, the critical paperwork that not only authorizes their duty status, but also unlocks pay, Tricare health benefits and eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs services. Without those orders, troops remain in a legal and administrative limbo.
Multiple defense officials with direct knowledge of the situation told Military.com the chaotic and sudden activation of troops has effectively clogged up the flow of administrative work.
Those Guardsmen will likely receive formal orders and the proper backpay within the next few days, but that hasn't eased the concerns for troops anxious over potential financial strains and juggling family logistics, as the Guard does not assist with child or pet care. Though with the mission only a few days old, troops haven’t missed a paycheck yet.
Some part-time troops reported leaving better-paying civilian jobs without clarity on how much they'll earn while mobilized. The financial implications of how those orders are written is significant. Depending on how long troops are activated and how the orders are written, soldiers may or may not qualify for basic housing allowances, an additional $3,000 to $5,000 per month, depending on rank and location in the Los Angeles area.
But the administrative snafu is indicative of a slapdash mission where the welfare of troops has not been a priority. Several service members described inadequate living conditions at staging areas such as the military facility at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, where soldiers are sleeping outside on cots due to a shortage of space. Others cited intermittent issues with food and fuel supplies.
The Pentagon estimates the mission will be 60 days, and acting department comptroller Bryn MacDonnell testified at a House budget hearing Tuesday the cost of deploying the National Guard in Los Angeles will be $134 million. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a National Guard veteran, told lawmakers part-time soldiers may see a much greater role in domestic missions.
"I think we're entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland," Hegseth told lawmakers.
Images of soldiers sleeping on the floor went viral earlier this week, spurring California Gov. Gavin Newsom to blast the federal response in a post on X directed at Trump on Monday. "You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep," he wrote. "If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you."
Local donations from businesses such as pizza shops, a staple of domestic Guard deployments, often help fill gaps, but this time, the community has largely stayed away.
One midlevel officer said their unit would receive "extremely generous" help when deployed to combat wildfires, including water, sports drinks and food, which played a significant role in morale and tightened the Guard-community relationship.
"This is a situation [where] we're against the community," the officer told Military.com on the condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation.
Related: Hegseth Suggests LA-Style Troop Deployments Could Happen Anywhere in US 'if Necessary'
