The U.S. Army has confirmed that a military parade set to take place in Washington, D.C., in honor of the Army’s 250th anniversary may cost as much as $45 million. This event coincides with President Donald Trump’s birthday.
Scheduled for June 14—Trump’s 79th birthday—the parade will feature around 6,600 soldiers along with 50 military aircraft and 150 ground vehicles, according to Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, a spokesperson for the Army, in comments made to Finance Newso.
While the maximum projected cost of the parade aligns with earlier reports from NBC News in May, she noted that the final expenses could range anywhere from $25 million to $45 million.
Further details about the parade were disclosed in a report by The Washington Post on Thursday, which Castro has since confirmed.
Trump has long shown an interest in hosting a military parade in the capital, with ambitions dating back to his first term. An initial parade planned for November 2018 was scrapped amid discussions about the hefty costs involved in organizing such an event.
In an interview broadcast on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on May 4, Trump categorized the projected costs of the upcoming parade as “peanuts compared to the value of doing it.”
This parade will serve as the culmination of a series of events leading up to the Army’s 250th anniversary, which traces back to June 14, 1775.
Additional festivities, including fireworks, military demonstrations, and musical performances, are planned to accompany the parade.
