WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered Pentagon and WhiteHouse officials to begin planning a military parade in Washington similarto the Bastille Day parade he witnessed in Paris in July, the WashingtonPost reported on Tuesday.
At a meeting at the Pentagon on Jan. 18 that included Defense Secretary JimMattis and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford, Trumpsaid he wanted a military parade, the Post reported, citing a militaryofficial who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The marching orders were: I want a parade like the one in France,” themilitary official said, according to the Post. “This is being worked at thehighest levels of the military,” the official added.
After the Post published its story, the White House issued a statement thatsaid Trump “has asked the Department of Defense to explore a celebration atwhich all Americans can show their appreciation.”
A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said theparade planning was in the “brainstorming” stage and nothing had beendecided, the Post reported.
The Pentagon was aware of a request for a parade but was only just startingto explore possibilities, including on timing, a Pentagon spokesman toldReuters.
Trump has said he was impressed by the military parade he watched in Parison July 14. U.S. and French soldiers marched together to mark 100 yearssince the United States entered World War One and France’s annual BastilleDay holiday. It included tanks, armored vehicles and a flyover of U.S. andFrench military jets.
“To a large extent because of what I witnessed, we may do something likethat on July 4 in Washington down Pennsylvania Avenue,” Trump toldreporters in September. “We’re actually looking into it.”
The U.S. capital has held large military displays to mark significantoccasions, including victories in war, but rolling tanks and marchingtroops down Pennsylvania Avenue are not typically done on the U.S.Independence Day holiday.