Washington (AP) – The army confirmed on Friday that there would be a military parade President Donald Trump in June, as part of the celebrations around the 250th anniversary of the service.
Plans for the parade, such as the first detailed by the Associated Press on Thursday, call around 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles and 50 helicopters to follow an Arlington, Virginia, National Mall route. Until recently, the army’s birthday festival plans did not include a massive parade, which, according to officials, will cost tens of millions of dollars.
Find out more: The army parade plans for Trump’s birthday call for 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles and 50 helicopters, reports
But Trump had long wanted a military parade, and discussions with the Pentagon having a collaboration with the birthday festival started less than two months ago.
The 250th anniversary of the army coincides with the 79th anniversary of Trump on June 14. In a statement on Friday, army spokesman Steve Warren said that the birthday celebration of the army would include “an exhibition of spectacular fireworks, a parade and a day festival at the National Mall”.
The expensive parade comes as Trump and his government ministry, managed by Elon Musk, reduced federal ministries, staff and programs, thousands of workers losing their jobs, including civilians from the Ministry of Defense.
In comments to Fox News Digital, the White House officials confirmed that a commemorative parade would take place and said it would be one of the first events to launch a year’s 250th anniversary celebration.
Asked about the parade Thursday, the White House did not respond and army officials said that no decision had been made. While officials said there was now an official decision to make the parade, there is still no specific cost estimate.
Warren said that, given the importance of the army’s birthday, they envisage options “to further enlarge the celebration, with more demonstrations of capacity, additional equipment exhibitions and more commitment with the community”.
The army planning documents, obtained this week by the AP and dated April 29 and 30, said that the parade will include soldiers of at least 11 bodies and divisions nationwide. They said it would imply a Stryker battalion with two Stryker vehicle companies, a tanks and two tanks, an infantry battalion with Bradley vehicles, Paladin artillery vehicles, howitzes and infantry vehicles.
The plans note that although the parade will start near the Pentagon, the heavy and dear vehicles – which would include the strykers – would be parked near the Lincoln Memorial and would join the procession there, so that they do not travel the bridge of Virginie
The city officials, including the mayor of DC Muriel Bowser, admitted in April that the administration had contacted the city to hold a parade on June 14. At the time, she said that tanks that were rolling in the streets of the city “would not be good”.
“If military tanks were used, they should be accompanied by several million dollars to repair the roads,” she said.
The army’s anniversary festival has been planned for more than a year and should include exhibitions of army equipment, military demonstrations, musical performances and a fitness competition on the National Mall.
The parade at the end of the afternoon would be followed by a parachute jump by the Golden Knights, a concert and fireworks. Planning documents also suggest that civilian participants would include vehicles and historic aircraft and two bands, as well as people from veterans, military colleges and reconstruction organizations.
According to the plans, the parade is classified as a national special security event, and this request was submitted by the National Park Service and is being examined.
During his first mandate, Trump proposed to have a parade after seeing one in France the Bastille Day in 2017. Trump said that after looking at the two-hour procession along the famous Champs-Elysees, he wanted a bigger one on Pennsylvania avenue.
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This plan was finally poured due to the enormous costs – with an estimate of a price of $ 92 million – and other logistical problems. Among these, there were objections of the city officials who said that in particular tanks and other heavy armored vehicles would tear the roads.
Trump said in an article on social networks in 2018 that he had canceled the event on costs and accused local price politicians.
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