Responding to a request by the Federal government, more than 100 Wyoming National Guard Soldiers and Airmen have volunteered to support crowd control, communications and logistics during the 59th Presidential Inauguration in Washington D.C. on Jan. 20.

The 59th Presidential Inauguration, like all presidential inaugurations, is considered a National Special Security Event (NSSE). P.L. 106-544 designated the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) as the lead federal agency responsible for coordinating, planning, exercising and implementing security for National Special Security Events. The preparation for a NSSE is a cooperative effort among federal, state and district agencies.

The National Guard provides a wide variety of capabilities that can seamlessly integrate with interagency partners to enhance inauguration support capabilities. Several states are activating to provide timely, safe, and proactive support to civilian authorities. While the costs associated with this deployment will be paid for with Federal dollars, these National Guard professionals will remain under their respective governor’s control, under Title 32, 502(f) orders for up to 31 days and adhere to D.C. law.