M1A1 Abrams are loaded onto a heavy equipment transportation railcars in preparation for a National Training Center training rotation, on Fort Cavazos, Texas, March 4, 2024. As part of the Army’s 250th birthday celebration on June 14, 28 M1A1 Abrams tanks from Fort Cavazos will roll down Constitution Avenue in Washington. (Alejandro L. Carrasquel/U.S. Army)
WASHINGTON — Tanks, troops and heavy vehicles from Fort Cavazos, Texas, are being loaded onto trains and heading to the nation’s capital for the Army’s long-planned 250th anniversary celebration that coincides with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday on June 14.
“This has been the Army’s birthday. We’ve had 249 previously,” Army spokesman Steve Warren told reporters Wednesday. “We’re excited that the commander-in-chief is interested in the Army’s 250th anniversary and that he will want to view it.”
Trump has long talked of a parade with soldiers and vehicles rolling down the streets of Washington similar to major celebrations held in Moscow, Paris and other world capitals.
He backed off the idea in 2018 amid pushback from Army and District of Columbia officials over exorbitant costs and damage tanks might inflict on roads.
Trump settled for a display of tanks and other armored vehicles during a July Fourth celebration in 2019 in Washington.
As part of the Army’s celebration on June 14, 28 M1A1 Abrams tanks will roll down Constitution Avenue. The tanks will be trucked to a staging area closer to the parade route.
The Army isn’t concerned about the parade route, said Col. Jesse Curry, executive officer to the Army Chief of Engineers. Steel plates will be placed where tanks will have to turn sharply and vehicles will receive new track pads.
“We’re not expecting any damage to the route,” Curry said.
The Army will pay for any damages, Warren added.
On June 14, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in the morning, followed by a fitness competition and an Army birthday festival on the National Mall in Washington.
Members of the U.S. Army Drill Team, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), perform in front of hundreds of spectators, during a Joint Service Drill Exhibition, April. 14, 2023, at the National Mall in Washington. (Ethan Scofield/U.S. Army)
The festival will also include equipment displays, demonstrations of military skills and musical performances from country artists Noah Hicks and Scotty Hasting.
The day will culminate with a parade through the city and a jump by the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team, which will present Trump with an American flag. The president will also preside over an enlistment ceremony for 250 service members.
Democratic lawmakers have criticized Trump for taking over the Army’s birthday and refocusing it on himself.
“This is Trump. This is all about his ego and making everything ‘him,’ which is, I think, a discredit to the military, the Army,” Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee and a U.S. Military Academy graduate, told the Reuters news agency.
Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., introduced a bill to prohibit the use of public funds for “displays of military force for personal glorification.”
Donors are being offered a “dedicated VIP experience” at several events Trump is planning this summer with the U.S. military, The Wall Street Journal Reported. This includes the parade next month.
The Army has been planning the 250th celebration for two years, with the parade being “more recent,” Warren said. He did not elaborate on how conversations regarding the parade took place.
The service is bringing about 6,700 troops from every Army division, 150 vehicles and more than 50 aircraft for the event. The cost for the parade and other events will be between $25 and $45 million, Warren said.
“It is a lot of money, but I think that amount of money is dwarfed by 250 years of service and sacrifice that, you know, American soldiers have given this country,” he added. “We’re looking at this as an opportunity to really strengthen the connection between America and her Army.”
Other equipment for the celebration include 28 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, 28 Strykers, four M109 Paladins and a series of historic vehicles, including Sherman tanks and a B-25 bomber, he added.
Between 3,000 and 4,000 soldiers will be housed in the General Services Administration building, and 2,000 in the Department of Agriculture in downtown Washington, Warren said. Most participants will arrive on June 11 and depart Washington June 15.
Troops will be provided Meals, Ready to Eat for breakfast and lunch and receive a hot meal for dinner, Warren added. Soldiers will also receive a partial per diem of about $69.
The last time a national military parade was held in Washington was June 1991 to celebrate the U.S. victory in the first Gulf War. The U.S. Park Police estimated the crowd at 200,000, The Associated Press reported at the time. The Army is estimating about 200,000 will attend next month’s celebration.
