The United States Army said on Friday it is planning a parade in Washington with thousands of soldiers and military demonstrations celebrating the 250th anniversary of its founding on June 14, which is also President Trump’s 79th birthday.
The parade is set to include 150 vehicles, 50 aircraft and participation from 6,600 soldiers, according to a statement from the Army. A fireworks display and a daylong festival are also planned, including equipment displays, musical performances and a fitness competition alongside the military demonstrations.
The Army said the celebration was in honor of its 250th birthday but did not mention that the president’s birthday happened to be the same day.
“Given the significant milestone of 250 years,” the statement said, “the Army is exploring options to make the celebration even bigger, with more capability demonstrations, additional displays of equipment, and more engagement with the community.”
It was not clear from the Army statement on Friday which events would be held on June 14 and which would happen in the lead-up to the anniversary. The White House last month denied that a military parade was scheduled for Mr. Trump’s birthday. But The Associated Press reported on Thursday that it had reviewed military planning documents that had the parade scheduled for June 14.
When asked for clarification on the schedule, a spokeswoman for the Army responded that planning was underway and suggested the festival with the display of military equipment would be held on the 14th.
Mr. Trump has expressed a fondness for military parades since his first term, when he backed off his bid for a spectacle after some in his administration balked at the cost. The lack of enthusiasm in Washington and the comparisons to authoritarian showcases of military might have failed to douse his interest.
“We’re going to show the people as we build up our military, we’re going to display our military,” he told a reporter ahead of his first inauguration. “That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue.”
Mr. Trump again became enthralled with the idea after witnessing the grandeur of Bastille Day in Paris in 2017, which featured an elaborate display of tanks, soldiers on horseback and military jets flying overhead.
His own military advisers pushed back against the idea when estimates of the price soared close to $100 million. But Mr. Trump did not let go of the idea.
“Maybe we will do something next year in D.C. when the cost comes WAY DOWN,” he wrote on Twitter in August of 2018. He blamed local government officials in Washington for inflating the price “so ridiculously high” that he had to cancel the parade.
Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, asked last month if the city had been contacted about plans for a military parade, repeated concerns about the cost and the potential damage to the city’s streets from heavy combat vehicles.
“If military tanks were used, they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads,” Ms. Bowser said.
While many countries, from France to North Korea, use such parades to mark milestones, displays of military might are rare in Washington.
