The Planalto Military Command comprised the Federal District with the capital and the outlying state (now two). Brasília doesn't have much non-political importance, and its position as capital mattered less than today in 1964 as much of the bureaucratic machinery (military and civilian) was still in Rio de Janeiro, which was the target of rebels from São Paulo and Minas Gerais. Nonetheless Goulart did pass through the city, his chief of staff Darcy Ribeiro was diligent in trying to shore up the legalist position and a column would move from Minas Gerais to the capital.

The Military Command and the 11th Military Region were held by the same commander, brigade general Nicolau Fico, a coward who played both sides. Obeying Darcy and against requests from president of the Senate Auro de Moura Andrade, he did not repress legalist radio nor occupied key points in the city. But by the end he was calling Costa e Silva, rebel lynchpin in São Paulo, "my chief" and also taking orders from him. Darcy intercepted this and called him a "treasonous monkey". His duplicity did not save him and the new regime removed him from his post.
Below him were only a handful of units:
-6 Caçadores battalion, Ipameri;
-One MP battalion, Brasília;
-11th Mechanized Recon Squadron, Brasília, with M-41 tanks;

Darcy gathered a thousand Goulart supporters in the National Theater to occupy Congress and even form into armed resistance, but they were left unused by Goulart and never given weapons.

Congress had 6 SMGs and 12 rifles, but politically it and other civilian institutions were a central rebel power. The Presidents of the Senate, Andrade, of the Chamber of Deputies, Ranieri Mazzili, and of the Supreme Court rallied to the rebel side. Mazzili was particularly important as he was first in the presidential line of succession, and after Goulart's position was usurped he briefly occupied it.