Nearly 8,000 National Guard members from 40 states have come to the nation’s capital for security ahead of the inauguration on Monday.
Maj. Gen. John Andonie, the commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard, told ABC News’ MaryAlice Parks that he has “never felt more confident about” about the National Guard’s security posture ahead of the big day.
The last-minute move inside the Capitol Rotunda is something that the National Guard members are adjusting to, but he added that their plan is still sound.
“We actually did rehearse several contingencies … and that was just one of several contingencies we’ve been looking at. This is not a surprise. This is just a matter of adjusting to the plan and adjusting to the desires of the incoming administration to support that plan,” Andonie said.
When asked about how this moment feels different than four years ago, Andonie noted that the National Guard learned from the lessons of Jan. 6.
“We’re a learning organization, and so, we take those lessons from the past,” Andonie said. “We’ve adjusted, we’ve changed, and we’re now in a much better position with our law enforcement partners, a great amount of coordination and planning.”