| Date | June 14, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Location | from The Pentagon, Virginia, to the National Mall, Washington, D.C. |
| Participants | TBD Expected: |
The United States Army 250th Anniversary Parade is scheduled to take place on June 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C., United States, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States Army, the oldest of the six branches of the United States Armed Forces. [1] The parade will also celebrate veterans and active-duty service members, and coincide with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. [2] Flag Day is also on June 14 each year to honor the United States flag and to commemorate the flag’s adoption. The parade is part of the celebrations marking the United States Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding.
The parade has faced bipartisan criticism due to its high projected cost, estimated at between $25 million and $45 million, especially as it coincided with broader government cost-cutting measures. [3] [4] [5] Additional controversy arose from its timing on Trump's birthday, which critics argued politicized the military and drew comparisons to displays typically seen in authoritarian regimes. [6] [7] The idea for the parade originated during Trump's first term, when a similar proposal was rejected by The Pentagon over concerns that it would appear overly political. [8]
The parade is expected to involve around 6,600 soldiers from at least 11 corps and divisions nationwide, with at least 150 vehicles, 50 helicopters, warplanes, horses, mules, parachuters, celebrities, seven bands musical performances, several thousand civilians, and a dog named Doc Holliday. [9] [1] [10] It will follow a route from the The Pentagon to the National Mall. Heavy, tracked vehicles would be stationed near the Lincoln Memorial and join the procession there. [10] The evening will conclude with a fireworks display around 9:45 p.m.
In his first term, Trump had advocated for a military parade on Veteran's Day in 2018, but was opposed by the Pentagon stating it wanted to keep the military out of politics. The desire came after Trump saw France's Bastille Day celebrations in 2017. Defense secretary Jim Mattis reportedly told Trump he would "rather swallow acid" than have the parade, with Gen. Paul J. Selva saying that military parades were "what dictators do". Trump again brought up the idea for a parade in 2020 with Mattis' successor, Mark T. Esper, who came up with an "air parade" to coincide on July 4. [3]
In 2025, Trump again ordered a military parade from the Pentagon which The New York Times described its quick acceptance as a result of a more acquiescent Pentagon without the guardrails present in his first term. [3] The Army stated that plans for the Army's 250 birthday celebration had been in the works for two years, but the parade was Trump's idea and planning for it only began recently. [11] While the parade will celebrate the Army, no other parades are planned for the Navy or Marines which also celebrate their 250th anniversary in 2025. [12] The Army is expecting to spend anywhere from $25 million to $45 million for the parade, [13] with the cost of damage to Washington's streets estimated at $16 million as part of the estimate. [14] Unlike Trump's planned 2018 military parade featuring all branches of service that would have cost an estimated $100 million, the specific focus on the Army was expected to bring the cost down. [11] Trump told NBC in May 2025 the parade's cost was "peanuts." [15]
Most of the tanks, vehicles and equipment for the parade come from Fort Hood in Texas, arriving by train in Jessup, Maryland, and then transported on flatbed trucks to D.C. [11] Soldiers for the parade slept in cots in government buildings including the Department of Agriculture headquarters, a government warehouse owned by the General Service Administration on Seventh Street, and at Joint Base Andrews. [16] [17] The Army had difficulty finding uniforms for the War of 1812 and the Spanish-American War. [16]
The parade will be classified as a national special security event, [10] and Reagan National Airport will halt some flights for the parade. [18]
The parade will include the following participants: [19] [20]
The parade will include the following equipment: [19]
The parade drew concern over its high price tag, with the Army estimating $25 million to $45 million for the parade, [13] along with an estimated $16 million in damage to the roads. [14] The Army Corps of Engineers stated its worst-case scenario had the cost of damage at $16 million, but that it expected the damage to be reduced to $3.5 million after plans were made to put down steel plates and reinforce them with railroad ties to protect the road. [11] The Army further stated it was placing new track pads on tanks to create further separation between the metal track and the ground. [14] Trump stated that the cost was "peanuts compared to the value of doing it." [12] Criticism was particularly raised over the cost due to the Trump administration's cost-cutting efforts elsewhere in the government for education, health, and public assistance. [3]
The Intercept reported that the $45 million price tag was likely an underestimate due to unaccounted expenses, and that members of Congress were "already expressing outrage at what they see as a gross misuse of funds." [4] Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal criticized the parade, stating that "Trump squandering $45 million in taxpayer dollars on a military parade for his birthday is the epitome of government waste", [4] calling it "exorbitant" and criticizing it while large budget cuts for "training programs, freezes on hiring, shrinking staff levels, deferring maintenance, jeopardizing equipment maintenance fees" were ongoing. [5] Democratic Representative Steve Cohen stated that "this administration does not have a credible history of telling the truth about anything" and that "when they estimate $45 million, you know that's a low-ball figure". [4] Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth stated she would rather the Army spend the money on childcare and tuition reimbursement for military families. [5]
Politico reported that GOP senators had questioned the cost of the parade, with Republican Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker saying that "I would have recommended against the parade", but that "the secretary feels that it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for thousands of young Americans to see what a great opportunity it is to participate in a great military force, that it will be a recruiting tool. So, we'll see." [5] Republican Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins stated that she supported celebrating the army, but that "the cost does seem a bit steep". [5] Republican Sen. Ron Johnson stated that "If it costs money, I won't go". [5]
The parade was criticized over apparent politicization and its occurrence on Trump's birthday. [3] USA Today reported there was significant debate whether the parade is "a celebration of the Army's storied heritage, or an homage to Trump and the political movement he leads? Or both?" [16] The stated purpose of the parade shifted over time, with the Army first stating that it would not happen on Trump's birthday and later that it would only celebrate the Army's semiquincentennial. [4] Trump defended himself against claims the parade was celebrating his birthday, stating that it was a celebration of Flag Day, the military at large, and vehicles and weapons, saying "I view it for Flag Day, not necessarily my birthday. Somebody put it together. But no, I think we're going to do something on June 14, maybe, or somewhere around there. But I think June 14. It's a very important day." [16]
Democratic lawmakers argued the parade was being used for Trump's own political purposes. [8] Democratic Senator Jack Reed stated that the event was "all about his ego and making everything about him." [8] Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth criticized Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll about the parade, stating "Let's be clear: You're not doing it to celebrate the Army's birthday, you’re doing it to stroke Donald Trump's ego". [5] Democratic Senate Armed Services Committee member Richard Blumenthal criticized the parade as celebrating both the Army and Trump's ego, stating that "It is Donald Trump who is the focus of his own attention, and the Army birthday just happened to be a convenient excuse", and questioned why he did not simply celebrate all military services birthdays rather than the only one that fell on his birthday. [12]
Concern was raised over the optics of the parade, with NBC News describing Pentagon worries for the initial 2018 parade that it "could be seen as akin to the kind commonly seen in Moscow, Beijing or Pyongyang, North Korea". [14] The Intercept described the 2025 parade as "a martial spectacle reminiscent of the Soviet Union or North Korea in the heart of America's capital". [4] Associate professor Risa Brooks of Marquette University questioned whether the military was celebrating Trump, stating that "tanks rolling down streets of the capital doesn't look like something consistent with the tradition of a professional, highly capable military" but "looks instead like a military that is politicized and turning inwardly, focusing on domestic oriented adversaries instead of external ones". [3] Duke University political science professor Peter Feaver stated that "the military won't die on this hill even if they do not like it", and that "Trump's 2.0 team is better at giving the president what he wants whether or not it is best in the long run". [3]
Coinciding with the parade, the No Kings protest is planned to take place in over 1,500 cities across the United States. [21] The protest, organized by the 50501 movement, opposes the parade as well as the policies and actions of Trump in general. The protest follows several days of protests against ICE raids around the United States, including in Los Angeles, where Trump deployed both the California National Guard and the United States Marine Corps against civilian protestors. [22]
ABC, CBS and NBC networks are televising the parade on their respective news streaming channels instead of their respective affiliates. Fox News Channel, along with NewsNation, Newsmax, Real America's Voice and One America News are televising the event as well.[ citation needed ]