Military Will Have Reduced Role in Scaled-Back DC Inauguration Events
The U.S. Navy Band marches down Pennsylvania Avenue during the 58th Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C., January 20. 2017. (U.S. Navy/Senior Chief Musician Stephen Hassay)
19 Jan 2021
The military will play a greatly diminished but still prominent role in the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Wednesday.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee had already scaled back events that normally celebrate the peaceful transfer of power because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The response to the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol added new and heavy layers of security, turning the city into a fortress against threats of violence.