U.S. President Donald Trump said he will turn the triumphal arch he plans to build in Washington, D.C., into a military complex housing drones, snipers and ammunition.
According to Axios, Trump wrote on Truth Social on the 20th that, at the strong request of the U.S. military and for the sake of national security, he had agreed to convert the grand arch planned for Receptive Circle near Arlington Memorial Bridge — a project first envisioned as far back as the Civil War era — into a top-grade military complex that would also serve as a triumphal arch.
He said multiple drones and snipers would be stationed on the rooftop and on both sides of the plaza so they could be deployed quickly, and that a large stockpile of sniper ammunition would be kept there. He added that no comparable facility exists anywhere in the world, and stressed that Washington is the only one of 59 major cities without a triumphal arch but would now get the most impressive one on earth.
Building the arch as a dual-use military facility appears intended to guard against litigation, by allowing the administration to argue that the project is required for national security. A military purpose has also been attached to the large ballroom under construction at the White House. Framing the arch as a national security matter mirrors the way the East Wing ballroom was described as a military complex.
The planned arch would stand 250 feet, or about 76 meters, tall, which could make it one of the largest triumphal arches in the world. That has raised concerns that it could encroach on other national symbols or block views. Critics have also warned it could interfere with pilots landing at a nearby airport.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport sits near the construction site. The Federal Aviation Administration recently concluded that the arch would not pose a hazard to air traffic.
Trump plans to build the arch near Arlington Memorial Bridge, spanning the area between the Lincoln Memorial in Washington and Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac in Virginia. The New York Times reported this week that the National Park Service is rushing through a final review ahead of an approval expected in November. An internal NPS report issued in August said the project would have negative effects on several nearby monuments and landmarks.
