MILITARY MARCH IS BLOWN OFF
D.C. spectacle shelved until 2019 as Pentagon sees tab rising by $80M
The Pentagon is raining on President Trump's military parade.
The costly show of force, which was originally planned for this fall, was put on hold Thursday, with military officials saying they will look into alternative dates for next year.
“We originally targeted November 10, 2018, for this event but have now agreed to explore opportunities in 2019,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
A reason for the parade postponement was not immediately known, but the announcement came hours after a Pentagon official told CNBC it could cost taxpayers a stunning $92 million.
The jaw-dropping cost covered security, transportation, aircraft, as well as temp duty for troops, the official said.
Tanks, helicopter, fighter jets, transport aircraft and historical military planes were all to be used to show off America's military might. Troops in period uniforms representing the past, present and future forces were to march in the parade as well, according to the official.
Such over-the-top productions are common in authoritarian states such as North Korea and China.
Trump raised eyebrows last year when he requested that armed forces march through Washington. He ordered the Pentagon to put on the military spectacle after seeing France's Bastille Day Parade.
In the U.S., armed parades have typically only been held to commemorate particular military feats. The last major one was held in 1991, marking the
end of the Gulf War. That parade cost around $8 million, more than half of which was covered by private donations.
The Thursday announcement comes less than a week after Trump signed a bill — formally named the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act — which officially authorized the Nov. 10 parade.
VoteVets, a left-leaning veterans advocacy group, lauded the Pentagon for putting Trump's “ego parade” on ice and thanked its supporters for protesting.
“This is because of all the calls, emails, and tweets you have been sending, at our urging, to oppose it. Thank you!” the group tweeted. “Now, let's end this bad idea, for good, in 2019!”