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Military parade ordered by Trump postponed after costs spiral
WASHINGTON, Aug 17, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – A military parade ordered by US
President Donald Trump for later this year has been postponed until at least
2019, a defense official said Thursday, following reports the cost had soared
to over $90 million.
The announcement was seen as a setback for the president, who had ordered
the show of air power after being impressed by France’s Bastille Day parade
last year.
The idea had been popular among many Americans but drew scorn from critics,
who said it would be a waste of money and was akin to events organized by
authoritarian regimes.
“The Department of Defense and White House have been planning a parade to
honor America’s military veterans and commemorate the centennial of World War
I,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said in a statement.
“We originally targeted November 10, 2018 for this event but have now
agreed to explore opportunities in 2019,” he added.
When the White House in February announced the commander-in-chief’s desire
to hold the parade in Washington, the budget director said it would cost
between $10 million and $30 million.
But a US official told AFP earlier Thursday the planning estimate had now
gone as high as $92 million, though no final figure has been reached.
The request for the event came after Trump’s visit to France in July 2017,
where he was hosted with great fanfare by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Sitting on the Champs-Elysees during the Bastille Day parade, the American
president had marveled at the Republican Guard on horseback and jets flying
overhead.
He had initially hinted at plans to transform America’s Independence Day
celebrations — usually associated with fireworks and barbecues — on July 4
into a vast military parade.
“To a large extent, because of what I witnessed we may do something like
that on July Fourth in Washington down Pennsylvania Avenue,” he said in
September 2017.
– Destitute veterans –
Even before becoming president, aides reported that Trump had considered a
military parade to mark his inauguration — although that idea was eventually
scrapped.
Trump has also embraced military backdrop for several speeches and
presidential visits. However, he received deferments from carrying out
military service of his own during the Vietnam War.
US media were quick to highlight how the ballooning costs of the proposed
parade stood in contrast to his concern about the expense of conducting joint
military exercises with South Korea.
“We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount
of money,” Trump said in June after meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
It later emerged that the drills cost about $14 million, a fraction of the
price of a military parade.
Others suggested the money could be better spent improving the lives of
destitute veterans.
“Until such time as we can celebrate victory in the War on Terrorism and
bring our military home, we think the parade money would be better spent
fully funding the Department of Veteran Affairs and giving our troops and
their families the best care possible,” said the American Legion’s national
commander Denise Rohan.
The United States normally holds military parades to mark the end of a
conflict, such as in 1991 when president George HW Bush held a National
Victory Parade in Washington to celebrate the end of the first Gulf War.
BSS/AFP/MRI/0814 hrs