The US Army is planning a pricey parade for its 250th anniversary — and Trump's birthday. Here's what could be on display.

Business Insider

08-05-2025

Trump military parade cost
Defense officials told NBC News that the parade and static displays could cost as much as $45 million, and the Army could end up largely bearing the brunt of the expenses. In some cases, it would cost individual units over $1 million to participate.
"Could the parade potentially impact training? Absolutely," one official said. "Will it impact training? That's unclear."
In a May 4 interview with NBC News' "Meet the Press," Trump said the high cost of the US military parade is "peanuts compared to the value of doing it."
"We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world," the president said. "And we're going to celebrate it."
However, the cost estimates could change as the White House and the Army finalize plans, a little over a month before the event is set to take place.
'Make the celebration even bigger'
While the Army has been planning its anniversary celebration for over a year, the military parade was a recent addition to the festivities, which also includes military demonstrations, musical performances, a fitness competition, and a fireworks display.
The Army said it was "exploring options to make the celebration even bigger, with more capability demonstrations, additional displays of equipment, and more engagement with the community."
Stryker Armored Fighting Vehicles
Paladin artillery vehicles
The Army also plans to exhibit the M109 Paladin artillery vehicle in its anniversary celebration, though it isn't clear if it will be part of the parade or part of a static display.
The Paladin is a 155mm turreted self-propelled howitzer used by the US Army. Its 38-ton weight and tank treads could damage roads.
Bradley Fighting Vehicles
The parade could also include an infantry battalion with Bradley fighting vehicles and light mobility vehicles like Humvees and Infantry Squad Vehicles.
Highly maneuverable and formidable, the Bradley revolutionized mechanized infantry operations, not only primarily serving as troop transport across hostile territory but also allowed soldiers to fight from the armored vehicle.
The Bradleys were previously displayed on the National Mall in 2018 during Trump's " Salute to America" event — a toned-down version of his original request to parade American tanks through the streets of Washington.
Tank battalion
But Trump's first-term goal of showcasing the Army's battle tanks could come to fruition this year, as plans detailed that a tank battalion with two companies of tanks could be part of this year's Flag Day festivities.
Army plans did not detail how many of each vehicle would be transported to DC for the parade, but 92 of the 152 vehicles are categorized as "heavy," which could include tanks or other tracked vehicles.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said in April that the White House reached out about holding the event, but she said she didn't know if it would be "characterized as a military parade."
Nonetheless, Bowser said that "if military tanks were used, they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads."
Officials said that the plan for showcasing the tanks is not yet final, and they are taking into consideration how to minimize damage to streets and bridges.
Parachute jump by the Golden Knights
The parade's finale will feature a parachute jump by the Golden Knights, the Army's demonstration and competition parachute team, according to planning documents obtained by USA Today.
Members of the Golden Knights are planning to land and present a "flag to the POTUS on behalf of the Army," per an event planning slide.
Costly military celebrations
This isn't the first time Trump pushed the idea of hosting a military parade in Washington.
Inspired by the military parade on Bastille Day in France, the president said he wanted to host a similar militarized celebration to commemorate the centennial anniversary since the end of World War I in 2018.
However, the plan ended up being scrapped due to logistical issues and skyrocketing costs of about $92 million — up from initial estimates of $12 million.
Rather than acknowledging the military parade's large-scale scope and costs to repair potential damage to city infrastructure, Trump took to Twitter to blame local politicians for the event's cancellation.
"When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I canceled it," Trump wrote on social media at the time.
"Maybe we will do something next year in D.C. when the cost comes WAY DOWN. Now we can buy some more jet fighters!" he added, referring to Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II aircraft.
Bowser, who has been DC's mayor since 2015, responded to Trump's remarks, saying that she "finally got thru (sic) to the reality star in the White House with the realities ($21.6M) of parades/events/demonstrations in Trump America."