A worker applies a coat of primer on a stand at the construction site of the inaugural stand on the west side of the US Capitol on December 4, 2008 in Washington, DC. The US military plans to mobilize thousands of troops to protect Washington against potential terrorist attack during the inauguration of president-elect Barack Obama, a senior US military commander said Wednesday. (AFP/Getty Images/File/Alex Wong)From The L.A. Times:
About 11,500 troops, including chemical attack experts, will join the security detail as Obama takes the oath of office.
Reporting from Washington -- The U.S. military will be on high alert during Barack Obama's inauguration, increasing air defenses and deploying chemical attack experts and medical units, a general said Wednesday.
Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., who heads the military command that oversees security for North America, said the Defense Department had not been told of specific Inauguration Day threats. Nonetheless, he said, the armed services must be ready.
"It would make news for a terrorist element or rogue element to interrupt that event," Renuart said. "So it is prudent to plan for the possibility of that event and to deter it or to respond to it."
Read more ....
My Comment: Years ago I worked for security at a U.N. installation. You always wonder if security is sufficient and adequate. The 2005 inauguration was definitely a stressful affair .... let us hope that the 2009 inauguration would go off without a hitch.
