Between 5,000 to 7,000 service members are expected to march in President Donald Trump’s military parade this fall.
Preliminary planning documents from the US Department of Defense indicate the service members will be joined by 100 vehicles, 50 aircraft and 100 horses for the parade on November 10, the eve of Veteran’s Day.
Earlier this week the Pentagon revealed the parade, which Trump formally requested in January, will cost taxpayers an estimated $12million.
There are already 50 DoD employees working on the parade plans, and that number is expected to double by September and hit an estimated 3,000 the week of the parade.
Between 5,000 to 7,000 service members are expected to participate in President Donald Trump’s Veterans Day Military Parade on November 10 in Washington DC, sources say
Trump requested the grand procession from the Capitol to the White House back in January
Trump was inspired to host the large show of military pride in Washington, DC, after he attended France’s Bastille Day parade, featuring military tanks and ranks of soldiers marching down the Champs-Élysées, alongside President Emmanuel Macron last summer.
It wasn’t until months later that his loosely-formed dream was heard as a presidential directive in a closed-door meeting with top military officials in January.
In March the Pentagon issued a planning memo about the parade which said it would ‘include wheeled vehicles only, no tanks – consideration must be given to minimize damage to local infrastructure’.
It also promised to include ‘a heavy air component at the end of the parade’, meaning lots of airplane flyovers. Older aircraft will be included as available.
The parade was originally going to be held on Veteran’s Day itself, but was pushed forward a day to coincide with the 100th anniversary of World War I.
Service members will be joined by 100 vehicles, 50 aircraft and 100 horses for the parade from the Capitol to the White House on November 10, the eve of Veteran’s Day
This week a US defense official with knowledge of the most recent planning documents told ABC News there would be as many as 7,000 service members marching in the procession from the Capitol to the White House.
Another official for US Northern Command would not confirm the exact number, but told ABC News: ‘It is anticipated that several thousand Armed Forces personnel will participate in the parade, as well as provide ceremonial support including musical units, marching bands, and color guards, to render appropriate ceremonial honors to our Nation’s military members, Veterans and their Families.
‘The parade will honor the contributions of veterans, the current force, and the future force. More details and specifics about the Veterans Day Military Parade will be announced at a later date.’
Trump was inspired to host a parade of his own after watching Bastille Day festivities last summer in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron (right)
The traditional Bastille Day parade in the French capital featured military tanks and ranks of soldiers marching down the Champs-Élysées in Paris
Officials have referred to the $12million estimate revealed this week as a ‘planning figure’, noting that costs associated with the celebration could still change.
In February, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney told the House Budget Committee that the cost could range between $10million and $30 million.
At the time Trump said he would be willing to give up the grand parade plans if the price is too high.
‘We’ll see if we can do it at a reasonable cost. If we can’t, we won’t do it,’ Trump said during a phone interview with Fox News host Jeanine Pirro.
‘The generals would love to do it, I tell you, and so would I.’
While he didn’t specify what a ‘reasonable cost’ would be at the time, the new $12million figure is nearly as high as the suspended exercises with South Korea, which the President described as ‘tremendously expensive.’
The Pentagon said the Freedom Guardian joint exercise originally schedule with Seoul next month would have cost the US about $14million.