WASHINGTON - National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from more than 25 states and territories will begin arriving Friday at the District of Columbia National Guard Armory, Joint Base Andrews and Fort Belvoir as part of a force of 6,000 to support the 57th Presidential Inauguration.
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are set to take their oaths of office on Jan. 21 at the U.S. Capitol.
Plans call for more than 6,000 National Guard personnel to deploy inside the District, while another 2,000 will be on alert in states just outside the District. The National Guard Soldiers and Airmen have been called up in 25 states and territories including Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Kansas, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Virgin Islands, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The Soldiers and Airmen will provide support to civil authorities during the inauguration to include traffic control, crowd management, communications, logistical, medical and public affairs support.
Many of the National Guard members performed similar functions during the 2009 inauguration.