Soldiers with the Indiana National Guard provide security during the 2021 inauguration in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2021. (Sgt. Tackora Hand/U.S. Army National Guard)
WASHINGTON — Nearly 8,000 National Guard troops have been requested by the U.S. Secret Service to provide support for the presidential inauguration Jan. 20, the Pentagon said.
The request for 7,800 troops, said Sabrina Singh, deputy spokeswoman for the Defense Department, is expected to be approved by the Pentagon in the coming days. The Secret Service is the lead agency for the inauguration.
Once approved, the troops will join 500 National Guards troops already approved to support security operations during the counting and certification of electoral votes on Monday.
Barriers, shown here on Jan. 6, 2024, have been placed around the Capitol ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration. (Robert H. Reid/Stars and Stripes)
Layers of tall black fencing flank the U.S. Capitol complex in a stark reminder of what happened four years ago, when thousands of supporters of President-elect Donald Trump rioted, battled police and stormed the building. As Trump prepares to return to office, no violence, protests or procedural objections in Congress are expected this time.
The 2025 presidential inauguration was designated a “national special security event” by the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. When an event is designated as a special security event, the federal government, as well as state and local partners, can funnel significant resources to ensure a robust security plan is in place, said Nate Herring, a spokesperson for the Secret Service. He declined to provide specifics, citing operational security reasons.
Guard members have historically provided support for presidential inaugurations, going back to the one for President George Washington. But the last transition of presidential power in 2021 departed from U.S. tradition and was marred with conflict.
In November, Guard officials said more than two dozen states had indicated they would be willing to send National Guard troops to Washington if requested in the weeks following the presidential election and in the run-up to the inauguration, The Associated Press reported.
In the days following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, more than 25,000 National Guard troops were on the ground in Washington, hailing from all 50 states and three territories. The troops, along with local and federal law enforcement, locked down the city for the inauguration, securing the Capitol, monuments, Metro entrances and the perimeter of the central part of the city.
Outside D.C., 6,565 members of the National Guard protected state capitals throughout the country, the Guard said.
There were no protests or violence during the 2021 inauguration.
In an opinion piece published Sunday in The Washington Post, President Joe Biden decried the 2021 attempt to overrun the Capitol to block certification of the 2020 election — seeking to contrast that day’s chaos with what Biden promises will be an orderly transition returning Trump to power for a second term.
“We should be proud that our democracy withstood this assault,” Biden wrote. “And we should be glad we will not see such a shameful attack again this year.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
