Ex-Marine Janessa Goldbeck Becomes Key Adviser Against Politicised Guard Deployments

Janessa Goldbeck, a former US Marine and chief executive of the Vet Voice Foundation, has spent years preparing local leaders, activists and journalists for scenarios in which the military is used for domestic immigration enforcement. Her organisation's planning and legal support have become vital since the return of Donald Trump to the White House and the subsequent nationwide National Guard deployments.

Goldbeck, 40, first helped stage simulations and a documentary that examined how a presidential candidate might attempt to leverage the military for political ends. Having studied the Project 2025 policy platform, she and Vet Voice ran exercises last year with governors, mayors, state attorneys general, journalists and community groups to map responses to aggressive immigration enforcement that might include troop deployments.

Legal Support, Training And Expert Advice

Since January, Vet Voice Foundation has shifted from planning to active support: assisting litigation to halt or limit Guard deployments, providing subject-matter experts (including retired generals) to advise local staff on operational footprint and risks, and training community organizers on how to distinguish between agencies such as the National Guard and ICE.

Its main focus this year has been helping officials shape communications, reduce tensions and prevent escalation, Goldbeck says.

The foundation now serves as an adviser to governors, state attorneys general and mayors who are responding to changing deployments and public concern. Goldbeck emphasises that most guardsmen did not sign up to perform immigration enforcement or police their own communities, and many find the missions tedious or humiliating.

Risk To Service Members

Goldbeck also warns about safety. Last month two West Virginia National Guard members were shot in a targeted ambush near the White House by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who had previously worked with the CIA; 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom died and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe survived. Goldbeck argues that poorly defined domestic deployments can leave service members exposed to harm, especially when they are not trained for law-enforcement or occupation-style missions.

At the same time, some guardsmen have been assigned mundane tasks such as litter pickup and assisting commuters, which has prompted ridicule online and embarrassment among troops. Goldbeck says that such assignments can damage morale and reflect a deeper misunderstanding of military purpose.

Broader Democratic And Institutional Concerns

Goldbeck places these deployments in the context of a wider effort to expand presidential power: sidelining Congress, weakening civil service norms, and using legal and political pressure against opponents. She warns that normalising military presence in domestic political disputes risks eroding the apolitical professionalism of the armed forces and could set a dangerous precedent for future elections.

Myriad actions by the administration, she says, suggest the possibility of more aggressive uses of forces during election cycles, a step she calls authoritarian and un-American.

Background And Advocacy

Raised in San Diego by parents she describes as vegetarian pacifist Hindus, Goldbeck studied journalism and African studies at Northwestern University and became active in campus efforts to protect civilians in Darfur. To better understand military operations, she enlisted in the Marine Corps at 25, commissioning in 2012 and serving seven years as a combat engineer officer while advocating for women and LGBTQ service members. She left the Corps in 2019, citing her mother's illness and a desire to pursue political advocacy outside of uniform.

Weeks after leaving, she was recruited to run for Congress and later took the helm of Vet Voice Foundation, which represents about 2 million veterans, family members and supporters. The foundation has worked on public lands protection, secured travel access for service members seeking reproductive health care after the overturning of Roe v Wade, and raised alarms about possible voter-roll purges that could disproportionately impact veterans who move frequently or vote absentee.

On Leadership And Military Culture

Goldbeck is critical of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom she accuses of undermining military norms by engaging in partisan rhetoric and opposing gender integration in combat roles. She points out that the inclusion of women in combat positions has been litigated and implemented successfully, and that rolling back those gains damages both readiness and professionalism.

As guards remain deployed to multiple cities, Goldbeck and Vet Voice continue to provide litigation support, expert testimony and grassroots training to help local leaders manage deployments, protect civil liberties and safeguard service members.