I review the results of recent cosmological simulations of galaxy formation
that highlight the importance of satellite accretion in the formation of
galactic disks. Tidal debris of disrupted satellites may contribute to the disk
component if they are compact enough to survive the decay and circularization
of the orbit as dynamical friction brings the satellite into the disk plane.
This process may add a small but non-negligible fraction of stars to the thin
and thick disks, and reconcile the presence of very old stars with the
protracted merging history expected in a hierarchically clustering universe. I
discuss various lines of evidence which suggest that this process may have been
important during the formation of the Galactic disk.Comment: paper to be read at the "Penetrating Bars through Masks of Cosmic
Dust" conference in South Afric