Latest news with #Army-Trump
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's getting his military parade. Here's what they look like from France to Russia
Formations. Drills and maneuvers. Music and ceremony. President Donald Trump wanted a military parade that bests what he once witnessed in France. But raw displays of military power are more common to ones in Russia, China and North Korea, where such parades carry added meanings. Up to 7,500 troops, 120 vehicles and 50 aircraft will take to the streets and skies of Washington, D.C., on June 14 to celebrate the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary. The event coincides with Trump's 79th birthday. It also marks a rare example of an official military parade taking place inside the United States. Tanks a lot: DC mayor worried Army-Trump parde will chew up downtown streets Trump's desire to hold a parade has been linked to his 2017 attendance of France's annual Bastille Day, which celebrates that nation's revolutionary history, values and culture. After marveling at the showcase of tanks and fighter jets along the Champs-Élysée in Paris, Trump told French President Emmanuel Macron he wanted to "top" it. "It was one of the greatest parades I've ever seen," he added a few months later. "It was military might." But the French parade is not at its core a display of military power, historians and military experts say. And countries from Iran to North Korea that regularly indulge in large military parades in front of the world's cameras do so, in part, to send aggressive political and propagandistic messages to adversaries at home and abroad. "There's definitely a correlation between putting on a military parade and authoritarian regimes," said Markus Schiller, CEO of Munich, Germany-based company ST Analytics, an aerospace and security consultancy. "These parades are about sending message to other countries and also to domestic political rivals," he said. Tanks, cannons: Inside Trump birthday military parade "You won't seen any parades like this in Germany or Norway or Australia because they cost a lot of money and everybody would just shake their heads and say, 'Why does the government need to do this?' " Trump has said the parade's cost will be a bargain. 'It's peanuts compared to the value of doing it," he said. "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. And we're going to celebrate it."Trump's military parade is not new idea: It's actually a retro one The U.S. government has sponsored military parades previously. Troops, tanks and warplanes have also been present at American presidential inaugurations, including those of Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy. The last high-profile military parade was held in 1991, commemorating the end of the Gulf War. Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are among nations who routinely stage grand parades featuring military personnel and hardware such as missile systems, goose-stepping troops, tanks and other armored vehicles. On May 9, Russia's President Vladimir Putin hosted China's President Xi Jinping and more than 20 other world leaders as thousands of troops and columns of trucks carrying drones and other weapons paraded through Red Square. The highly choreographed annual event commemorates the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany. The drones, displayed for the first time, were an apparent reference to Russia's deadly use of them in Ukraine. Russia rehearses Victory Day parade: Putin flaunts military power amid Ukraine War According to a planning document seen by USA TODAY, the parade on June 14 and a series of related events in Washington, D.C., beginning the first week of June, will cost up to $45 million. On the day of the parade, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and a festival on the National Mall featuring Army equipment displays and demonstrations. The day will culminate with a parade through the city and an enlistment ceremony presided over by Trump − and fireworks. The parade will salute the Army's heritage from the Revolutionary War to the present, with soldiers in period uniforms. Lyle Goldstein is a former professor at the U.S. Naval War College. He said that while overseas military parades are often associated with authoritarian regimes "whose goals are manifested by the parade, and a lot of those goals relate to nationalism," parades can serve a wider positive purpose. They honor sacrifices, instill national pride and offer reassurances about defense spending. They can also, Goldstein said, simultaneously act as a deterrent and betray insecurities. "We know from human behavior that if you're insecure, you can lash out or be showy. If, as Americans, we were truly confident in our armed forces, we wouldn't need to display our military might," said Goldstein, who now runs the Asia program at Defense Priorities, a Washington, D.C., think tank. Goldstein's research has helped establish that in some areas of defense, such as hypersonic missiles, the United States is not keeping pace with China and Russia. Still, Schiller, of ST Analytics, said that military parades are also often about "tricks" and "playing games" to create the illusion of military power that may not exist, or only partly exist. The United States is not expected to show off any of its long-range missiles and rockets on June 14. France also refrains from featuring these in its Bastille Day celebrations, not least because if an accident were to take place it could have devastating consequences for those attending the event. But rapid, intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States are a regular feature of military parades in China and North Korea. "No nation I know of ever parades the real thing," said Schiller, referring to these missiles, as well as ones in military parades in India and Pakistan. He said mock-up missiles are often paraded with details such as cables and diameters tweaked so analysts studying images of them can't definitively conclude what they're seeing. Jean-Yves Camus is a defense expert at the Paris-based French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs. He said the Bastille Day event that apparently captivated Trump's imagination is not "mainly about the army." He said the ceremony is not to everyone's tastes and "left-wing people" generally don't like it and so don't attend. Camus said the military aspect was "simply a glimpse" at France's different units and that while other nations might use parades to show off "strong leadership, if not autocratic leadership," that wasn't the case in France. "Macron will attend this year, and then the next year or year after that, there will be a new president." "Most people go because it's really very fascinating, and you have this very beautiful, wide avenue − the Champs-Élysée − to watch it from," Camus added. "The night before there are joyful events scattered all over Paris. People go dancing. There is music. You have, I would say, this profound sense of connection with history." Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman and Tom Vanden Brook This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Trump's military parade draws comparisons to Russia, China
USA Today
4 days ago
- Climate
- USA Today
Attending the Army-Trump birthday parade? Expect scans, drones, and leave pets home
Attending the Army-Trump birthday parade? Expect scans, drones, and leave pets home Officials gave a preview of what to expect at the Army's 250th birthday celebration and military parade. Show Caption Hide Caption Military equipment headed to DC ahead of Trump's birthday parade Battle tanks, fighting vehicles and infantry carriers departed Texas for D.C. for President Trump's military parade. The parade is to celebrate the 25oth anniversary of the U.S. Army, but it happens to fall on President Trump's 79th birthday. While pets and emotional support animals are barred from the June 14 event, service animals are welcome, the Secret Service said. WASHINGTON − People attending the Army's 250th birthday celebration and military parade in the nation's capital have been warned: Everyone is getting scanned, watch out for drones and leave the emotional support animals home. The event, which will coincide with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday, is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people and thousands of federal agents, police officers and other security from across the country, said Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Washington field office. Hundreds of military vehicles and aircraft, including tanks, will also be on hand for the parade − and so will metal detectors scanning anyone entering the area for weapons, McCool and other officials said at a June 9 news conference. A pet-unfriendly affair "One additional note, we'd ask the public, due to the large crowds, noise and the weather forecast, that for their safety, you leave your pets and emotional support animals at home," McCool said. "As always, service animals are welcome." There is a 50% chance of rain for Saturday, with partly to mostly cloudy weather with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, according to The parade, which will feature Army equipment, flyovers, musical performances and thousands of soldiers in uniforms from the past and the present, caps off a week of events designed to celebrate the country's military might. As a precaution, authorities are putting in place 18.5 miles of anti-scale fencing, 17 miles of bike rack concrete barriers and will be flying 'multiple' drones overhead to help with surveillance, McCool said. And while everyone will need to be screened before entering, McCool said 175 magnetometers will be in place to keep things moving. 'If a million people show up,' he said, 'there's going to be a line.' More: When is Trump's military parade? What to know ahead of June 14 McCool and other federal and local officials said they have no intelligence about any possible terrorist threats or the kind of violent protests now rocking Los Angeles that prompted Trump to call in the National Guard. "We're not expecting it. We have no intelligence of that happening here," McCool said in reference to protests. "But if it does, we have the resources to handle it." The National Guard already is being mobilized for the event because it has been designated as a National Special Security Event (NSSE) by the Department of Homeland Security – the fifth event in Washington to have such a designation this year, including the presidential inauguration. The Secret Service is the helm of the multi-agency effort, in close collaboration with the FBI, Capitol Police, D.C. police and city government – and military officials through the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, which is part of U.S. Northern Command. Tanks with 'new rubber track pads' By the morning of June 9, construction workers were erecting a stage along Constitution Avenue near the White House. Steel plates have been embedded in the asphalt to protect roads from 140,000-pound tanks. And the tanks themselves – and other military vehicles – had begun arriving by train. Col. Jesse Curry of the Army Corps of Engineers, said the military is doing all it can to make sure the tanks don't chew up DC streets, following complaints by city officials. That includes putting metal plating in areas where tanks have to make turns. Also, Curry said, padding will be put down in staging areas, and the tanks themselves have been fitted with new rubber track pads. 'This is our capital city as well, so we're committed to ensuring that we minimize any possible damage,' Curry said. So far, nine groups have registered with the National Park Service for protest permits. One of them is the National Black Justice Coalition, which is holding an "equity march" that will pass by the Lincoln Memorial and Freedom Plaza between the White House and the U.S. Capitol Building. Permits have been granted for a "Transgender Unity" march and "Refuse Fascism" protest in Lafayette Park before the parade, according to National Park Service documents shared with USA TODAY. McCool said he doesn't expect any trouble from protesters based on the information authorities have on hand. 'From a Secret Service perspective, if it's simply people using that First Amendment right to protest then we're not going to do anything with that,' McCool said. 'But if that turns violent, or if any laws are broken, that's when (DC police), Park Police, Secret Service will get involved, and that will be handled swiftly.'
USA Today
29-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
DC mayor worried tanks will chew up downtown streets in Army-Trump parade
DC mayor worried tanks will chew up downtown streets in Army-Trump parade The Army said it would cover the cost of any damage to Washington, D.C.'s streets from its June 14 parade. Mayor Muriel Bowser is still worried she'll be left holding the bag for repairs. Show Caption Hide Caption White House plans parade for Trump's bday, Army's 250th anniversary The White House is planning a massive military parade to celebrate the Army's 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said she is still "concerned" about damage to the city's streets from the dozens of tanks and armored vehicles set to roll through the capital's downtown during the Army's massive 250th anniversary parade on June 14 − also President Donald Trump's birthday. Bowser said last month that running tanks over Washington's streets "would not be good" and "should be accompanied by many millions of dollars" for repairs. The Army has since told reporters it did not expect damage to the streets, and would cover the cost of any distressed asphalt. But Bowser said at a May 29 news conference she worried the city would have to shoulder those repairs and wait around for the Pentagon to reimburse. "I remain concerned about it," she said. "These are, for the most part, local streets, and if they're rendered in unusable, we have to make them usable." "Probably we would fix it and then go seek our money from the Fed," she said. "That gives me some concern about fronting costs and waiting for them to get back." More: Trump's getting his military parade. Here's what they look like from France to Russia The parade – which falls on President Donald Trump's 79th birthday – is a pressure point between Bowser and Trump, who clashed over Trump's push for a similarly huge military parade in his first term. Trump announced in 2018 that he had canceled his plans for the earlier parade, blaming Bowser and "local politicians" for jacking up the price tag to $21 million. "The local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it," he tweeted. Bowser hit back that she "finally got thru to the reality star in the White House with the realities" of the cost. This time around, Bowser has held back from criticizing the upcoming parade, which will likely cost more than twice as much as the 2018 estimate – up to $45 million, according to the Army. The Army said May 21 the parade will feature 28 Abrams tanks and twice as many armored vehicles rolling down a strip of Constitution Avenue north of the National Mall. Historic fighter planes and at least 50 helicopters will fly overhead. Army parachutists, called the Golden Knights, will sail down and one will present a folded flag to Trump, who will speak from a presidential booth, USA TODAY previously reported.
