A planned celebration in Washington for the 250th anniversary of the US Army will coincide with President Donald Trump’s 79th anniversary on June 14. Trump will play an important role in the celebrations, which have been changed to include a parade.
See what we know so far:
Place
The celebrations will take place in Washington, DC and surroundings, from the first week of June, according to a planning document seen by Reuters.
On June 14, there will be a wireless ceremony ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery in the morning, followed by a fitness competition and an army birthday festival at National Mall in Washington. The festival will include equipment and military demonstrations.
The day will result in a parade around the city and a ceremony of enlistment and realization presided by Trump, with fireworks.
Equipment
The US Army is mobilizing 6,500 soldiers to Washington, along with 150 vehicles and 50 aircraft for the celebration. The vehicles will be transported to the city on trains, while helicopters will arrive by air.
Reuters said that up to 25 M1 tanks will participate in the parade.
Costs
The two celebrations will cost the US Army between $ 25 million and $ 45 million, US officials told Reuters. This includes the parade itself, as well as the cost of transportation of equipment, accommodation and diet of troops.
The cost was millions of dollars more than it would have been without the parade, the authorities said.
The latest estimates of the authorities exclude costs that the city of Washington would have to bear, such as waste cleaning or road repairs due to damage caused by heavy tanks.
What is the controversy surrounding the conflict?
Democratic parliamentarians said Trump is appropriating the army’s birthday.
Deputy Steve Cohen, Tennessee’s Democrat, presented a bill to prohibit the use of public resources to “demonstrate military force for personal glorification”.
Authorities told Reuters that the planning for the celebration of the Army’s 250th anniversary began last year – before Trump wins the November presidential election.
The White House stated that the government was planning a historical celebration for the Army’s 250th anniversary.
The army was created on June 14, 1775, more than a year before the US Declaration of Independence.
“As one of the first events of the annual celebration of our 250th anniversary, this commemorative parade will be a suitable tribute to the service, sacrifice and altruism of the brave men and women who wore the uniform,” said Vince Haley, director of the White House Internal Policy Council.
Trump did not hide his desire to hold military parades in the past.
During his first government, he ordered the Pentagon to study a demonstration of military power after a trip to France in 2017, where he and the French president Emmanuel Macron reviewed the French defense forces marching on Champs-élysées Avenue in Paris.
Trump eventually opted for a display of tanks and other armored vehicles during a July 4 holiday celebration in 2019 in Washington.
History of US Parades
Critics have called the parade of an authoritarian demonstration of power that is a waste, especially with Trump cutting costs throughout the federal government.
Military parades in the United States are usually rare. In other countries, similar parades are often made to celebrate victories in battle or display military power.
In 1991, tanks and thousands of soldiers paraded for Washington to celebrate the expulsion of the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s army of Kuwait in the Gulf War.
This content was originally published in a Military Parade on Trump’s birthday: what is known on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
