U.S. Army 250th Anniversary Parade
The 250th Birthday of the U.S. Army Grand Military Parade and Celebration[7] (widely referred to as "Trump's military parade"[a]) took place on June 14, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., United States, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the traditional date of the founding of the United States Army on June 14, 1775, the oldest of the six branches of the United States Armed Forces.[18] The parade celebrated veterans and active-duty service members and coincided with the 79th birthday of Donald Trump, the 47th president of the United States.[19] 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. (...)
In 2025, during his second term, Trump again ordered a military parade from the Pentagon. The New York Times described its quick acceptance as the result of a more acquiescent Pentagon without the guardrails present in his first term.[12] 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.[24] 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.[25] The Army is expecting to spend anywhere from $25 million to $45 million for the parade,[3] with the cost of damage to Washington's streets estimated at $16 million as part of the estimate.[9] 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.[24] A number of corporations, including Oracle, Amazon, Coinbase, Lockheed Martin, Palantir Technologies, Stellantis, Coca-Cola, Walmart, Ultimate Fighting Championship, Phorm Energy, Nextdoor, FedEx, and Scotts Miracle-Gro, were sponsors of the event.[13] (...)
Cost concerns
The parade drew concern over its high price tag, with the Army estimating $25 million to $45 million for the parade,[3] along with an estimated $16 million in damage to the roads.[9] 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.[24] The Army further stated it was placing new track pads on tanks to create further separation between the metal track and the ground.[9]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Army_250th_Anniversary_Parade#