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Inaugural Support
From the
Department of Defense (DoD)
Participation by the armed forces in the presidential inauguration is a centuries-old tradition in which the armed forces celebrate democracy, honor the new commander in chief and recognize civilian control of the military. This tradition marks more than 200 years of military participation, dating back to April 30, 1789, when members of the U.S. Army, local militia units and Revolutionary War veterans escorted George Washington to his swearing-in ceremony at Federal Hall in New York City.
In keeping with this tradition, the Department of Defense (DoD) established the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee (AFIC) to serve as the DoD liaison to the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) and the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC).
AFIC is a joint service committee charged with coordinating all military ceremonial participation and support for the 2009 presidential inaugural. Military participation traditionally includes musical units, marching bands, color guards, salute batteries and honor cordons.
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