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The Intercept
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Intercept
Expect Trump's Military Parade to Cost More Than the Army Says
President Donald Trump boasted on Monday that his hosting of a military parade in Washington, D.C., next month to honor the Army's 250th anniversary — coincidentally the same date as his 79th birthday — was an act of divine intervention. 'We're going to have a big, big celebration, as you know, 250 years,' he said during a Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery. 'Can you imagine? I missed that four years, and now look what I have, I have everything. Amazing the way things work out. God did that.' The massive military parade and related festivities planned for June 14 will cost an estimated $25 to $45 million, according to the Army. This is likely a significant underestimate due to many expenses that are unaccounted for – or will be billed later, such as damages to local infrastructure caused by armored vehicles. Members of Congress are already expressing outrage at what they see as a gross misuse of funds. 'Trump squandering $45 million in taxpayer dollars on a military parade for his birthday is the epitome of government waste,' said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. 'If the Trump Administration truly cared about celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Army, they would honor past and present soldiers and reinstate the thousands of veterans who they fired from the federal workforce — not throw away millions on an extravagant parade.' The purpose of the parade is also seemingly up for interpretation. The White House now says the parade is a celebration of the Army's semiquincentennial after, last month, denying reports that a parade would be held on the president's birthday. Trump, for his part, has offered shifting explanations, stating that the parade is a celebration of Flag Day, the military writ large, or tanks and other weaponry. The current plan, nonetheless, involves a martial spectacle reminiscent of the Soviet Union or North Korea in the heart of America's capital, with armored vehicles rolling down Constitution Avenue. It is slated to involve more than 100 vehicles, including 28 M1A1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored personnel carriers, 28 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, four M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzers, as well as military relics like World War II-era Sherman tanks, a B-25 bomber, and a P-51 Mustang single-seat fighter plane, according to Army spokesperson Cynthia Smith. She added that the parade will also feature 34 horses, two mules, one wagon, and one dog. 'Join us on June 14th for the U.S. Army's 250th Anniversary Grand Military Parade on the National Mall! Hosted by President Donald Trump,' reads a White House post on X announcing the event, which will also feature 50 helicopters flying overhead, including Apaches, Black Hawks, and tandem-rotor Chinooks. The White House says that Trump will 'deliver remarks celebrating 250 Years of the U.S. Army's exceptional service, significant achievements, and enduring legacy.' Trump previously called the price tag of the parade 'peanuts compared to the value of doing it.' The White House did not respond to questions about the additional costs beyond those cited by the Army. 'This administration does not have a credible history of telling the truth about anything. And so, when they estimate $45 million, you know that's a low-ball figure.' Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., suspects the costs could be markedly higher than the current estimates. 'This administration does not have a credible history of telling the truth about anything. And so, when they estimate $45 million, you know that's a low-ball figure,' he told The Intercept. 'I don't know if it includes transporting the troops from their home stations to Washington or feeding them on that trip.' Cohen brought up other costs from aircraft flyovers — 'How much fuel do they burn up? How much maintenance is required before and after the flight?' — to the construction of stands and viewing platforms on the parade route. The total burden on taxpayers could also soar higher because the federal government is on the hook to fix city streets and other infrastructure torn up by the armored vehicles (each Abrams tank, for instance, weighs almost 70 tons). 'If military tanks were used, they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads,' said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in April, adding that tanks rolling through the city's streets 'would not be good.' The Army says they have this covered — at taxpayer expense. 'As a prevention measure to ensure there are no damages to the roads, one-inch-thick steel plates, varying in size from 4 feet by 8 feet and 8 feet by 20 feet will be placed on the roads at any pivot point and all new rubber tracks will be placed on vehicles,' Heather J. Hagan, an Army spokesperson, told The Intercept. 'The federal government would be responsible for any damages.' Additional expenses, like cleanup and an increased police presence, are also apparently not part of current estimates, although Daniel Gleick, Bowser's press secretary, was unable to provide projected local costs. The sheer number of agencies the Army is working with, however, speaks to the likelihood of wide-ranging additional expenses. 'The Army is coordinating with local law enforcement, National Park Services, District Department of Transportation, Federal Highways Administration, U.S. Park Police, and DC Water, who will assess the roads and bridges,' said Hagan. One major expense of the parade to be borne by taxpayers is the cross-country transport of mammoth military vehicles. The Abrams tanks have, for example, already been loaded onto flatbed railcars at an industrial rail yard facility at Fort Cavazos, Texas, for their long journey toward Washington. The tanks will then be trucked to a staging area near the parade route. The district will also be flooded with close to 7,000 troops. The Army did not want to disclose the locations for force protection reasons, but service members will be housed in the Agriculture Department and General Services Administration buildings, according to Pentagon sources. Contracting materials examined by The Intercept show the Army National Guard is seeking to rent '800 Sleeping Cots in Support of Army 250 Parade in Washington D.C.' 'They're going to sleep on cots. They're going to get cots and MREs,' said Smith, the Army spokesperson, referring to 'meals ready-to-eat,' the military's moniker for rations. Cohen, the Tennessee representative, also referenced the inclusion of large numbers of National Guard members. 'They'll have to take time from their jobs. And are they being paid by the state extra for this time as being in the National Guard? That's another expense,' he said. The Army is also looking into potential lodgings — like hotel rooms or furnished apartments — to house 280 personnel from June 12 to 16 and another 275 personnel from June 13 to 16 near the National Mall. These people will, however, eschew MREs for more sumptuous victuals: a hot breakfast, a bag lunch, and a hot dinner, according to a request for information issued by the Army earlier this month. Smith said she did not have details about this effort. Hagan, the other Army spokesperson, did not have a more granular breakdown of other parade costs. Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron at the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Élysées Avenue in Paris on July 14, 2017. Photo: Eliot Blondet/Sipa USA via AP Images Trump has Fixated on military parades for decades — and has repeatedly found himself mired in controversy as a result. When he was merely a real estate developer and New York City gadfly, his involvement with the Nation's Parade, celebrating the Second World War's 50th anniversary in 1995, sullied 'an otherwise positive day,' according to the New York Times. As reporter Robert McFadden observed at the time: 'Many veterans were angry that organizers had agreed to name Mr. Trump, who is not a veteran, as grand marshal in exchange for his contribution of $200,000 and help in raising additional funds.' In 2017, during his first term, Trump watched the Bastille Day parade in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and returned home obsessed with staging his own défilé militaire. Plans for a 2018 parade were postponed after local officials in Washington, D.C., raised concerns about damage to the capital city's streets, the Pentagon tossed up additional roadblocks, and public reports of the estimated $92 million price tag caused the White House to retreat. 'When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it,' Trump groused in a tweet at the time. 'Maybe we will do something next year in D.C. when the cost comes WAY DOWN.' A top aide to then-Defense Secretary James Mattis wrote that the former general privately said he would 'rather swallow acid' than watch Trump's military spectacle. Trump seems to have learned lessons from past parade problems and has been deflecting talk of June 14 being a festival in his honor. 'Your birthday's coming up,' NBC News's Kristen Welker said during a wide-ranging interview with Trump earlier this month. 'Yeah,' the president responded. 'And there are reports that you're looking into the possibility of a military —' said Welker, with Trump replying 'Yeah' as she said 'parade.' But the president immediately walked it back. 'Well, my birthday happens to be on Flag Day. So … I think they're talking about Flag Day. But I view it for Flag Day, not necessarily my birthday,' Trump went on. 'It's Flag Day, plus we're going to have different days. You know, if you look at Russia, they celebrate Victory Day.' Lavish spending on the military parade comes as the Trump administration is requesting $1 trillion for the Pentagon and pursuing massive cuts to nonmilitary programs like housing assistance, education initiatives, environmental programs, and foreign aid. Cohen reiterated the need to pass his Halting All Parades for Presidents' Yearly Birthdays; It Risks Taxpayer Harm, Damages, And Your (HAPPY BIRTHDAY) Budget Act, which he introduced last month. 'The egotist-in-chief wants taxpayers to foot the bill for a military parade on his birthday. This would be an unprecedented waste of money to please this self-absorbed con man,' said Cohen, whose legislation would bar public funds from being used for presidential birthday parades. 'It also sends the message that Trump is not a king, and we don't pay tribute to tyrants.' Despite their opposition to Trump's military spectacular, both Cohen and Blumenthal emphasized their appreciation for the military. 'I strongly support celebrating the Army's 250 years of service and sacrifice, but in a more appropriate way,' said the senator. 'We all appreciate the Army. We all appreciate the soldiers. We appreciate the veterans. We don't have to have this parade to do that,' Cohen told The Intercept. 'Even if the parade costs $45 million, that's a lot of money. And that could feed a lot of kids who are losing SNAP payments,' said Cohen, referencing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program formerly known as food stamps. 'So I think it's misprioritization of monies. And it just contributes to the whole idea of a fascist state with an authoritarian leader like Mussolini or Hitler.'
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Trump is getting the military parade he wanted in his first term
A member of the US Army 'Golden Knights' parachute team descends onto the Ellipse in front of the White House in Washington, July 4, 2020. (NYT) WASHINGTON: In President Donald Trump's first term, the Pentagon opposed his desire for a military parade in Washington, wanting to keep the armed forces out of politics. But in Trump's second term, that guardrail has vanished. There will be a parade this year, and on the president's 79th birthday, no less. The current plan involves a tremendous scene in the center of Washington: 28 M1A1 Abrams tanks (at 70 tons each for the heaviest in service); 28 Stryker armored personnel carriers; more than 100 other vehicles; a World War II-era B-25 bomber; 6,700 soldiers; 50 helicopters; 34 horses; two mules; and a dog. But critics say it is another example of how Trump has politicized the military. The Army estimates the cost at $25 million to $45 million. But it could be higher because the Army has promised to fix any city streets that the parade damages, plus the cost of cleanup and police are not yet part of the estimate. While $45 million is a tiny fraction of Trump's proposed Pentagon budget of $1.01 trillion for fiscal year 2026, it comes as the administration seeks to slash funding for education, health and public assistance. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo "It's a lot of money," the Army spokesperson Steve Warren acknowledged. "But I think that amount of money is dwarfed by 250 years of service and sacrifice by America's Army." The Army is not calling the event a birthday parade for Trump. It is the Army's birthday parade. The Continental Army was officially formed on June 14, 1775, so June 14 will mark 250 years. That also happens to be Trump's birthday. There was no big parade in Washington back when the Army turned 200 in 1975, when Vietnam War scars were still raw. While smaller commemorations were held at Army bases around the country, complete with dinner dances, barbershop quartets and cake cutting, few people were looking to glorify the military so soon after the Kent State shootings. Besides, the country was gearing up for big bicentennial celebrations the next year. If things were going to be similarly low-key this time around, Fort Myer, across the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia, might be an ideal location, "where the Old Guard could march with some veterans," said Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the leading Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, in a reference to the 3rd Infantry Regiment, the Army's oldest active duty infantry unit. "But this is Trump," Reed added, speaking to reporters last week at the Defense Writers Group. "It's consistent with so much of what he's doing." Army officials say the parade will cross in front of Trump's viewing stand on Constitution Avenue, near the White House, on the evening of Saturday, June 14, part of a big bash on the National Mall. There will be marching troops who will be housed in two government buildings, officials say. They will sleep on military cots and bring their own sleeping bags, a topic of much merriment on late-night television. There will be Paladins, the huge self-propelled howitzers, and nods to vintage style. Army officials want to outfit some troops in uniforms from the wars of long ago, like the one in 1812 or the Spanish-American War. For more than two years, the Army has been planning national, global and even interstellar aspects of the celebration -- an Army astronaut on the International Space Station will be phoning in, Warren said. But those planned celebrations focused on festivals, a postal stamp, various fun runs, military bands and the like. At some point this year, Army officials said, a military parade in Washington appeared in the plans. Still, officials say there are no plans at the moment to sing "Happy Birthday" to Trump, or to the Army, during the parade. One plan does, however, call for paratroopers from the Golden Knights, the Army parachute team, to land amid the festivities and hand Trump a flag. In 2017 during his first term, Trump watched the Bastille Day parade in Paris with President Emmanuel Macron of France and returned home wanting his own. But the Trump 1.0 Pentagon shut him down. Jim Mattis, the defense secretary at the time, said he would "rather swallow acid," according to "Holding the Line," a book by Guy Snodgrass, Mattis' former speechwriter. "We're all aware in this country of the president's affection and respect for the military," Mattis said tersely when reporters asked about Trump's wishes. "We have been putting together some options. We will send them up to the White House for decision." Gen. Paul J. Selva, then the vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Trump during a meeting at the Pentagon that military parades were "what dictators do," according to "The Divider," by Peter Baker, a New York Times reporter, and Susan Glasser. When Mattis was gone, Trump brought up the idea again. Mattis' successor, Mark T. Esper, responded with an "air parade" as part of July 4 celebrations in 2020, Pentagon officials said. An array of fighter jets and other warplanes flew down the East Coast over cities that played roles in the American Revolution, including Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Officials in Trump's first Defense Department resisted his parade suggestion -- it was never a direct order -- because they viewed it as putting the military in the middle of politics, something the Pentagon historically has been loath to do. But now Trump has Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and military leaders who have been more willing to put his musings into action. This "raises the question, 'Is the U.S. military celebrating Trump?'" said Risa Brooks, an associate professor of political science at Marquette University. "Having tanks rolling down streets of the capital doesn't look like something consistent with the tradition of a professional, highly capable military," Brooks said in an interview. "It looks instead like a military that is politicized and turning inwardly, focusing on domestic oriented adversaries instead of external ones." There have been big American military parades in the past, but the last one was almost 35 years ago, to commemorate the end of the first Gulf War. Military parades in the United States have traditionally followed the end of major conflicts, such as the Civil War and the two World Wars. There were also military parades during three presidential inaugurations during the Cold War. And small-town festivities also sometimes commemorate the military with a few armored vehicles and troops. "I don't actually see the problem with a military parade," said Kori Schake, a former defense official in the George W. Bush administration who directs foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Schake said more Americans need to see the troops who serve the country. "If seeing our fellow Americans in uniform encourages public knowledge and connection, or inspires volunteering, it would be beneficial," she said. At the end of the day, "the military won't die on this hill even if they do not like it," said Peter Feaver, a political-science professor at Duke University who has studied the military for decades. "Trump's 2.0 team is better at giving the president what he wants whether or not it is best in the long run."
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Trump is getting the military parade he wanted in his first term
US President Donald Trump will be getting a military parade on his birthday, which is also the Army's birthday parade. PHOTO: AFP Trump is getting the military parade he wanted in his first term WASHINGTON – In President Donald Trump's first term, the Pentagon opposed his desire for a military parade in Washington, wanting to keep the armed forces out of politics. But in Mr Trump's second term, that guardrail has vanished. There will be a parade this year, and on the president's 79th birthday, no less. The current plan involves a tremendous scene in the centre of Washington: 28 M1A1 Abrams tanks; 28 Stryker armored personnel carriers; more than 100 other vehicles; a World War II-era B-25 bomber; 6,700 soldiers; 50 helicopters; 34 horses; two mules; and a dog. But critics say it is another example of how Mr Trump has politicised the military. The Army estimates the cost at US$25 million (S$32.2 million) to US$45 million. But it could be higher because the Army has promised to fix any city streets that the parade damages, plus the cost of cleanup and police are not yet part of the estimate. While US$45 million is a tiny fraction of Mr Trump's proposed Pentagon budget of US$1.01 trillion for fiscal year 2026, it comes as the administration seeks to slash funding for education, health and public assistance. 'It's a lot of money,' the Army spokesperson Steve Warren acknowledged. 'But I think that amount of money is dwarfed by 250 years of service and sacrifice by America's Army.' The Army is not calling the event a birthday parade for Mr Trump. It is the Army's birthday parade. The Continental Army was officially formed on June 14, 1775, so June 14 will mark 250 years. That also happens to be Mr Trump's birthday. There was no big parade in Washington back when the Army turned 200 in 1975, when Vietnam War scars were still raw. While smaller commemorations were held at Army bases around the country, complete with dinner dances, barbershop quartets and cake cutting, few people were looking to glorify the military so soon after the Kent State shootings. Besides, the country was gearing up for big bicentennial celebrations in 2026 . If things were going to be similarly low-key this time around, Fort Myer, across the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia, might be an ideal location, 'where the Old Guard could march with some veterans,' said Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the leading Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, in a reference to the 3rd Infantry Regiment, the Army's oldest active duty infantry unit. 'But this is Trump,' Mr Reed added, speaking to reporters last week at the Defence Writers Group. 'It's consistent with so much of what he's doing.' Army officials say the parade will cross in front of Mr Trump's viewing stand on Constitution Avenue, near the White House, on the evening of Saturday, June 14, part of a big bash on the National Mall. There will be marching troops who will be housed in two government buildings, officials say. They will sleep on military cots and bring their own sleeping bags, a topic of much merriment on late-night television. There will be Paladins, the huge self-propelled howitzers, and nods to vintage style. Army officials want to outfit some troops in uniforms from the wars of long ago, like the one in 1812 or the Spanish-American War. For more than two years, the Army has been planning national, global and even interstellar aspects of the celebration – an Army astronaut on the International Space Station will be phoning in, Mr Warren said. But those planned celebrations focused on festivals, a postal stamp, various fun runs, military bands and the like. At some point this year, Army officials said, a military parade in Washington appeared in the plans. Still, officials say there are no plans at the moment to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Mr Trump, or to the Army, during the parade. One plan does, however, call for paratroopers from the Golden Knights, the Army parachute team, to land amid the festivities and hand Mr Trump a flag. In 2017 during his first term, Mr Trump watched the Bastille Day parade in Paris with President Emmanuel Macron of France and returned home wanting his own. But the Trump 1.0 Pentagon shut him down. Mr Jim Mattis, the defence secretary at the time, said he would 'rather swallow acid', according to 'Holding the Line', a book by Guy Snodgrass, Mr Mattis' former speechwriter. 'We're all aware in this country of the president's affection and respect for the military,' Mr Mattis said tersely when reporters asked about Mr Trump's wishes. 'We have been putting together some options. We will send them up to the White House for decision.' General Paul J. Selva, then the vice-chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Mr Trump during a meeting at the Pentagon that military parades were 'what dictators do', according to 'The Divider', by Peter Baker, a New York Times reporter, and Ms Susan Glasser. When Mr Mattis was gone, Mr Trump brought up the idea again. Mr Mattis' successor, Mr Mark T. Esper, responded with an 'air parade' as part of July 4 celebrations in 2020, Pentagon officials said. An array of fighter jets and other warplanes flew down the East Coast over cities that played roles in the American Revolution, including Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Officials in Mr Trump's first Defence Department resisted his parade suggestion – it was never a direct order – because they viewed it as putting the military in the middle of politics, something the Pentagon historically has been loath to do. But now Mr Trump has Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and military leaders who have been more willing to put his musings into action. This 'raises the question, 'Is the US military celebrating Trump?'' said Dr Risa Brooks , an associate professor of political science at Marquette University. 'Having tanks rolling down streets of the capital doesn't look like something consistent with the tradition of a professional, highly capable military,' Prof Brooks said in an interview. 'It looks instead like a military that is politicised and turning inwardly, focusing on domestic oriented adversaries instead of external ones.' There have been big American military parades in the past, but the last one was almost 35 years ago, to commemorate the end of the first Gulf War. Military parades in the United States have traditionally followed the end of major conflicts, such as the Civil War and the two World Wars. There were also military parades during three presidential inaugurations during the Cold War. And small-town festivities also sometimes commemorate the military with a few armored vehicles and troops. 'I don't actually see the problem with a military parade,' said Dr Kori Schake , a former defence official in the George W. Bush administration who directs foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Dr Schake said more Americans need to see the troops who serve the country. 'If seeing our fellow Americans in uniform encourages public knowledge and connection, or inspires volunteering, it would be beneficial,' she said. At the end of the day, 'the military won't die on this hill even if they do not like it,' said Dr Peter Feaver , a political-science professor at Duke University who has studied the military for decades. 'Trump's 2.0 team is better at giving the president what he wants whether or not it is best in the long run.' 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Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Paratroopers Set to Give Trump Birthday Gift During Army Parade
Donald Trump could be receiving a hand-delivered gift from the Army during next month's military parade planned for the same day as his birthday. There have been discussions about having members of the Golden Knights, the Army parachute team, fly down onto the streets of Washington D.C. during the June 14 event to give Trump an American flag, according to The New York Times. The massive parade, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, just so happens to fall on Trump's 79th birthday. Organizers are eager to emphasize that the event is not being held in his honor to avoid the suggestions that the spectacle resemble something out of a dictatorship. In order to stress the separation, Army officials told The Times that there are no plans to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Trump at the June 14 military event. But the effort to avoid a link to Trump appears somewhat tokenistic: The Army did not have a parade for its 200th anniversary, had no plans for the parade before Trump took office, and the last military parade in the capital was in 1991, after the liberation of Kuwait. Further details of the parade have also emerged, including the sheer military might on display: 28 M1A1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker combat vehicles, around 6,700 marching soldiers, and 50 helicopters. There will also be 34 horses, two mules, and even a dog in the parade. The procession is expected to pass by Trump's viewing stand on Constitution Avenue near the White House. It's not yet confirmed if that's where he'll receive the flag from the Golden Knights. Trump made use of the Golden Knights during the July 4 'Salute To America' celebrations in 2020, which included flyovers by military aircraft. The estimated cost of the parade is between $25 million to $45 million. However, this figure does not include the major clean-up operation which would be ended afterwards, or the cost of repairing D.C.'s roads after the mammoth M1A1 Abrams tanks have driven on them. 'It's a lot of money,' Army spokesman Steve Warren told The Times. 'But I think that amount is dwarfed by 250 years of service and sacrifice by America's Army.' The White House declined to detail parade plans to the Daily Beast, but defended its scale. 'There is no event grand enough to adequately capture our gratitude for the millions of heroes who laid down their lives defending our freedom, but this parade will be a fitting tribute to the service, sacrifice, and selflessness of all who have worn the uniform,' said White House deputy press Secretary Anna Kelly. She added that the cost will be shared by the Department of the Army and the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. Questions are being raised about the timing and cost of the event, especially given the Trump administration's push for federal budget cuts, including slashing tens of thousands of jobs from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Risa Brooks, an associate professor of political science at Marquette University, also asked whether the parade will make it appear like it is a celebration of Trump - a partisan move the likes of which the Pentagon has long sought to avoid - rather than itself. 'Having tanks rolling down streets of the capital doesn't look like something consistent with the tradition of a professional, highly capable military,' Brooks told The Times. 'It looks instead like a military that is politicized and turning inwardly, focusing on domestic oriented adversaries instead of external ones.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
How the US Army plans to keep its massive 70-ton Abrams tanks from tearing up DC roads
Nearly 30 M1A1 Abrams tanks will roll down Constitution Ave. in DC for the Army's 250th birthday. The service is finalizing plans to prevent the heavy 70-ton tanks from damaging the road. Engineers will use steel plates and track pads to protect roads during the parade. The powerful M1A1 Abrams tank, with its heavy armor and 120mm cannon, is a massive hulk of steel, and dozens are set to hit the streets in the nation's capital next month. Nearly 30 of the tanks are expected to rumble down Constitution Avenue as part of the US Army's 250th anniversary celebration on June 14, set to coincide with President Donald Trump's birthday. The street, which runs parallel to the National Mall and serves as a major route for city traffic, isn't built to easily accommodate each tank's nearly 70-ton frame. Most cars weigh only about two tons. So how is the Army going to keep its tanks from chewing up Constitution Avenue? The service's engineers are putting the finishing touches on plans to protect the busy street's pavement from biting tracks. Officials aren't too concerned with the straight path down Constitution, which will likely see a single file of tanks. It's turning points that will be the most vulnerable to tears from the heavy tracked vehicles. "We are targeting those areas that we have concerns," said Army Col. Jesse Curry, Executive Officer for the Army's Chief of Engineers, during a media roundtable with reporters on Wednesday. "Particularly the areas where the surface of the pavement would typically, you know, receive an exaggerated level of stress." To prevent such stress, military engineers are figuring out which turn points will be layered with steel plates at least one inch thick. Such large plates are commonly seen on city streets where heavy equipment is used, Curry said, adding that equipment staging areas and the parade route were specially chosen to minimize weight-related damage. Heavy tracked vehicles like the M1A1 often make turns by using differential steering — one side will roll forward while the other reverses, or the tracks will operate at a different speed. That can cause tracks to "pinch," a problem for asphalt. Inbound parade tanks will also don new "track pads," rubber components that create some separation between the metal tracks and the pavement, Curry told reporters. Additional measures to prevent damage are still being examined, with help from DC's Department of Transportation, the National Park Service (which oversees maintenance of the National Mall), and the Federal Highway Administration. The tanks and other vehicles, such as Bradley fighting vehicles and Strykers, will arrive in the DC area via rail and will then depart to parade staging areas via heavy-duty trailers, similar to those used to move houses down highways. Troops will not be conducting any full-scale rehearsals for the parade, a notable deviation from typical military planning. Normally, complete rehearsals are an important part of any military mission, including small unit ceremonies. Officials said Wednesday that while the Army has been planning a major 250th birthday event for two years, the idea to include heavy vehicles like tanks and other armored vehicles in a parade only arrived this year. The officials did not specify how the idea originated. Even moving at a slow parade pace, any military activity using heavy equipment and vehicles is fraught with concerns that require meticulous planning for safety precautions, especially when it comes to the equipment offloads required to stage for such a parade. Large vehicles must rely on ground guides to ensure no one is inadvertently run over. Officials said Wednesday that Hercules wreckers will be available to recover any tanks that break down. How roads might handle the behemoth 70-ton M88 Hercules recovery vehicle with a downed tank on its trailer bed is unclear. Read the original article on Business Insider
