Jimmy Carter funeral today with 39th president to be laid to rest in front of each living US leader inside ring of steel
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TODAY the world bids farewell to Jimmy Carter inside the ring of steel at the Washington National Cathedral - where each living US leader will be present. The 39th and longest-living president of the United States peacefully passed away on December 29 at aged 100, surrounded by his family after nearly two years in hospice care.
![[Portrait of Jimmy Carter, the thirty-ninth President of the United States, who served from 1977 to 1981]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/1979-administration-faced-iranian-hostage-927013385.jpg?strip=all&w=761)
Security measures in Washington DC are expected to be intense as some of the world's most prominent names will gather to mourn the late former President. Carter's funeral has been dubbed the "perfect target for terrorists," especially following two deadly New Year's Day attacks, mounting pressure onto security chiefs to secure the event's perimeter.
![[FILE – Former President Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., on Nov. 3, 2019. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/former-president-jimmy-carter-teaches-960793484.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
It's expected that a ring of steel with protective fences, armed security guards, bulletproof vests and snipers will be deployed in what has been dubbed a "military operation". As the funeral is a National Special Security Event, it is also safe to assume metal detectors and bomb sweeps will be in use to further bolster security.
![[Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks at the Lying in State Ceremony for former President Jimmy Carter]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/speaks-lying-state-ceremony-former-962294297.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The state's Metropolitan Police has listed prohibited items for the event which includes backpacks and bags exceeding size restrictions, drones, laser pointers - and even selfie sticks. Washington National Cathedral Chief Public Affairs Officer Kevin Eckstrom stressed that, despite their being various moving pieces for such an event, it is expected to be carried out seamlessly.
![[George Bush, Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter in 2009]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/12/2002-us-president-receive-nobel-960464017.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
He told 7 News: "A state funeral here at the National Cathedral makes everything else look like a cakewalk. "This is an incredibly complex operation. The thing is it is a private family funeral, it is an event of the state, it is a military operation, it is a global media event, and it's a church service - all of those things all at once.".
![[President Joe Biden and his wife Jill led with a touching tribute to Jimmy Carter (pictured in 2021)]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/12/2021-photo-released-white-house-651414272.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
