After President Donald Trump told cabinet members in February he wanted to have a military parade, plans for that event have now been announced.
In a Pentagon memo released to CNN on Friday, the Department of Defense is now moving forward with a plan of a parade. However, due to the millions of dollars it would cost and the potential damage it could cause the streets of Washington D.C., tanks will not be used in the parade like the Paris Bastille Day parade that inspired Trump in the first place.
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The parade is set for Nov. 11, which is also Veteran’s Day.
“The memo says the parade will integrate with the annual DC Veterans Day parade and focus on the contributions of US veterans from the Revolutionary War to today ‘with an emphasis on the price of freedom,’” CNN reported.
This past February White House press secretary Sarah Sanders expressed the president’s enthusiasm for the U.S. military.
“President Trump is incredibly supportive of America’s great servicemembers who risk their lives every day to keep our country safe,” Sarah Sanders said in February. “He has asked the Department of Defense to explore a celebration at which all Americans can show their appreciation.”
However, despite the lack of tanks, the parade this fall will feature “a heavy air component,” with military air crafts flying overhead at the end of the parade.
The Joint Staff is in charge of organizing the event, while the Northern Command will execute it on the day of. The planned route for the parade will be from the White House to the Capitol Building, which is 1.8 miles long.
Trump will reportedly be surrounded by military veterans and Medal of Honor recipients once the parade reaches the Capitol.
“We’ll see if we can do it at a reasonable cost, and if we can’t, we won’t do it. But the generals would love to do it, I can tell you, and so would I,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News. “I think it’s great for our country in terms of being a cheerleader and the spirit.”
Trump made major news on Thursday when the White House announced he was willing to meet with North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
