The Army will be on the hook for damages incurred by massive tanks rolling through the streets of Washington, D.C., during the big 250th Army birthday on June 14, scheduled for the same day as President Donald Trump’s birthday.
The parade will see dozens of huge military vehicles roll through the streets of the nation’s capital – 28 tanks, and 28 Bradley fighting vehicles and Strykers, two types of armored ground combat vehicles, according to the latest numbers that officials shared with reporters at a May 21 briefing.
The Army is “not expecting damage” to the roads of the nation’s capital, said Col. Jess Curry, executive officer to the Army Corps of Engineers.
But if damage is incurred, the Army will be responsible, Col. Chris Vitale, the officer in charge of the week’s celebrations, said.
The Army plans to lay down huge metal plates at least an inch thick over spots in the parade route where the tanks will turn. Straight segments of the route – which runs down Constitution Avenue past the Washington Monument – won’t get any protection, according to Curry.
More: Tanks, cannons and soldiers sleeping in DC offices: Inside Trump birthday military parade
Asked about the parade last month, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said it “would not be good” to roll military tanks down the city’s streets, and that the military should pick up the tab for any damage incurred.
“Military tanks on our streets would not be good,” she said at an April 7 news conference. “If military tanks were used, they should be accompanied by many millions of dollars to repair the roads.”
Trump accused of politicizing military through parade
Trump’s role in the parade and its planning has sparked debate in Washington, with Democratic senators and Trump critics calling it an inappropriate politicization of the military.
The White House has said the parade is a celebration of the Army’s anniversary, and characterized Trump’s birthday falling on the same day as a coincidence.
In his first term, Trump repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, pushed the Pentagon to put together a military parade.
The June parade will be everything he pushed for back then – around 6,700 soldiers will participate, and the initial estimates peg the crowd size at 200,000, the Army officials said on May 21.
The parade will also include a flyover of historic warplanes and at least 50 helicopters, as previously reported by USA TODAY.
The Golden Knights, the Army’s parachute team, will soar down from the sky, and one will present Trump with a folded American flag. From his presidential booth, Trump will preside over the enlistment and reenlistment of 250 soldiers.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Army will pay if tanks damage roads in June 14 parade, officials say
