Posted on 12/17/2008 12:22:30 PM PST by My Favorite Headache
Top General: Large Military Presence at Inauguration By George Cahlink CongressNow Staff December 17, 2008, 12:12 p.m. Print.E-Mail.Reprints.Text Size.More than 10,000 active-duty military and National Guard personnel are expected to help with security or participate in next month’s presidential inauguration, a top military officer said Wednesday morning.
Air Force Gen. Victor Renuart, head of the Defense Department’s Northern Command, which oversees military support for homeland security, told the Defense Writers Group that about 7,500 active-duty military personnel and 4,000 National Guardsmen were due in town for the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.
Renuart said there have been no specific threats to the inauguration, but he called it “prudent” to have military forces available to deter or respond to a potential threat. Officials are anticipating more than 1 million people will descend on the city for the event.
Renuart would not provide a more specific breakdown, but he said some of those troops would be supporting federal law enforcement efforts and others would have a ceremonial role, such as walking in the parade or providing honor cordons. He stressed that the Secret Service has the lead role in providing inaugural security but said the military would be an “active participant.”
For example, the four-star general said the military will provide enhanced air-defense patrols over Washington during the festivities and will have chemical response teams available in the event of a nuclear, biological or chemical attack. He said the military has provided similar support for the national political conventions and Super Bowls.
Additionally, the Metropolitan Police Department is expected to have 8,000 personnel on duty, half of which will come from law enforcement agencies across the country. That’s 1,000 more officers than at President George W. Bush’s inauguration in 2005.
Other federal agencies, including the Secret Service and National Park Service, have yet to say how many personnel they will have on hand. All 1,600 Capitol Police officers also are expected to help out.
If Obama is killed by terrorists that would be "death by friendly fire."
I hear ya...but I was born and raised just outside of DC and have friends and family in law enforcement and government that will be serving some role in the inauguration...regardless whether they want to or not. Zer0 is the least of my concerns.
I guess their afraid of conservatives. After all, the axis of evil, Al-Qaeda, the Russkies, Chavez and Castro all supported the messiah.
You know things are screwed up when their more concerned with protecting government officials than our own borders and sovereignty.
You’re really Geddy Lee, aren’t you?
This protection of #44 is all because of those Crazy F*cking White People that are all trouble makers. I mean, look at the delays that they have caused at the F*cking airports. sarc!!!!!
This Post Is Racist! The next four years are going to make 1968 look like a walk in the park.
What is it with the white men at campfires with their guitars? Look at the body language of the females, I’m just sayin’.
...I got a hunch the crowd will be mostly black and the white contingent will be the hard Left Dems....this ain’t going to be a large cross section of America....now that a special ordinance passed allowing DC bars to stay open til 5 am there’s no telling how many people will be injured....the best thing that could happen for public safety would be a blizzard....folks don’t riot so much when it’s cold.
Considering Bush was a 2nd term for a white Prez, Obama’s numbers dont seem so great.
Wow this is more than a color guard, etc.
I don’t understand...what ever happened to pose comitatus?! Was this done for Bush? Clinton?
oK, guess you answered my question about if this has been done before, but again, wondering about pose comitatus...
“pose comitatus”
I think that line was blurred a LONG time ago.
pose comitatus does not apply to D.C.
I pulled security duty for LBJ back during his Tet trip to CA. None of the troops will be armed. The SS Pretorian guard insisted that we hand over our clips for the .45 and demanded that our weapons be checked for rounds in the chamber.
10,000 troops is nothing more than a big, loud fart to impress the easily impressionable. Whoopie-do!
Thanks for the clarification.
Reminds me of the monkey sitting in the capsule in the right stuff and Grissom says no doo doo in the there
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