Washington [US], April 8: The administration of US President Donald Trump is planning to hold a military parade through the streets of Washington on June 14 to celebrate the president's 79th birthday.
A senior U.S. administration official confirmed the plan to NewsNation television. The event also marked the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. military.
According to the Washington City Paper, the parade will stretch nearly 6.44 kilometers from the Pentagon to the White House. A U.S. military official confirmed to The Hill the length of the parade and revealed that "there are plans to hold a parade with the participation of the military." but added that nothing has been confirmed for sure.
The official noted that the U.S. military already plans to celebrate its 250th anniversary by demonstrating "a strong increase in capabilities compared to previous years." Planning began in 2024 and has been expanding since then, with the number of participating units now increasing.
The official also said Washington's local government was involved in the planning process, with forces from both the military and the city conducting "route reconnaissance."
"The Army is delighted to celebrate its 250th anniversary. Our intention is for Americans to be proud of their military and also proud of their country. It's still too early to say whether we're going to hold the parade but we're working with the White House as well as a number of government agencies to turn the celebration into a national event," U.S. Army spokesman Dave Butler told The Hill.
In his first term (2017 - 2021), President Trump ordered the Pentagon to plan a major military parade in 2018 after he visited Paris and drew inspiration from France's Bastille Day event. But the event was canceled due to high costs and delays in planning its implementation.
At the time, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin called the parade plans "a terrible waste of money to entertain the president." Many Washington officials have also complained that heavy military equipment such as tanks will damage the city's roads and cost the area millions of dollars in public safety.
The U.S. Department of Defense could use the training budget to pay for demonstration flights and the use of vehicles from nearby bases. However, the U.S. had to spend the budget to pay the salaries of the Secret Service and police, as well as rent and build stands and barricades around the parade area.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
