IRL reasons for their incompetence aside, I imagine Celestia has structured the Guard to function more like a police force than soldiers, given her preference for ending conflicts peacefully or with Precision Hero Strikes (TM). They’re probably trained mostly to arrest singular criminals, break up fights, protect towns from dangerous wild animals - that sort of thing. But as the world starts to “open up” that may need to change...



As for the FF, this is Twilight we’re talking about, so she probably has them out of uniform with color-coded badges or vests (a la Winter Wrap-up) to assist all the ponies unfamiliar with Canterlot for MAXIMUM FRIENDLINESS. Blue for tour guides, green for lost and found, red for first aid... you get the picture.



Oh, I got a bit carried away there.