Aryana Noroozi
With peak fire season underway, California’s front-line wildfire response is operating under severe strain. The California National Guard’s specialized firefighting unit, Task Force Rattlesnake, is currently at just 40% of its operational strength due to what state officials are calling an “illegal” federal deployment order carried out under former President Donald Trump.
Eight of the unit’s 14 crews have been reassigned to Los Angeles as part of a Trump-era directive that federalized portions of the National Guard, removing them from their original wildfire prevention and response missions. Only six crews remain active on fire lines, which is a significant decrease from nine the previous week.
The shortfall in firefighting personnel is placing strain on CAL FIRE, the state’s primary wildfire response agency, which is now covering the gaps created by the Guard’s diminished presence.
“President Trump’s illegal militarization of Los Angeles continues to hamstring crucial firefighting resources in California at the height of peak fire season,” CA Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement calling for the Guard to be returned to its original mission. “We need all available resources to protect communities.”
The federal deployment also comes amid ongoing staffing cuts at the U.S. Forest Service, which has lost 10% of its workforce overall, and 25% of staff in non-firefighting positions — a trend that may further undermine the state’s wildfire readiness.
Despite these federal setbacks, California officials say the state is making major investments in wildfire prevention and response. Over the past five years, CAL FIRE has nearly doubled its workforce, adding 1,800 full-time and 600 seasonal employees annually. In recent months, the state approved $72 million for wildfire mitigation projects and fast-tracked 20 vegetation management initiatives spanning nearly 8,000 acres.
California also boasts the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet, including a newly operational C-130 Hercules air tanker that joins the state’s growing airborne response capabilities.
“We are doing everything we can at the state level to step up where the federal government has fallen short,” Newsom said.
As climate change accelerates the pace and intensity of wildfires, state leaders emphasize that full coordination and not federally-imposed disruptions, is key to protecting lives and ecosystems.