President Donald Trump’s military parade is now estimated to cost $92 million, according to a U.S. defense official with firsthand knowledge of the assessment who spoke with CNBC.
The initial cost for the military parade was pegged at $12 million, with higher estimates still only putting the cost at $30 million. The parade’s price tag has been controversial, with supporters lauding it as an opportunity to pay formal respect to service members, while critics say there are better ways to spend the funds to help active duty and veterans alike.
The parade was initially set for Nov. 11, Veterans Day, but was last reported to be planned for Nov. 10, to accommodate international celebrations on Nov. 11 intended to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.
The new figure reportedly includes $50 million from the Defense Department, as well as $42 million from interagency partners like the Department of Homeland Security, according to CNBC.
The Pentagon expects to make an announcement soon on the new cost.
The new $92 million total cost estimate includes “security, transportation of parade assets, aircraft, as well as temporary duty, or TDY, for troops,” CNBC wrote.
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The official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that while the size and scope of the military parade can still shift, the plans currently include about eight tanks, as well as other armored vehicles, including Bradleys, Strykers and M113s.
Reportedly, experts also put to rest previous concerns that the Abrams tank, which tops the scales at nearly 70 tons, would damage roads in Washington.
The official analysis found that the vehicle’s weight distributed across track pads will prevent the capital’s streets from being damaged, according to CNBC. The parade will also reportedly include helicopter, fighter jet, transport aircraft and historical military plane flyovers.
Troops in uniforms representing different periods in American military history will also march in the parade.
A Military Times poll in February found that the vast majority of respondents oppose the idea of a parade. Almost 104,000 people voted, with the majority — 89 percent — saying the military has more important needs to address.
Trump’s inspiration for the parade came in part from his visit to Paris for France’s Bastille Day military parade alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.
“It was a tremendous day, and to a large extent because of what I witnessed, we may do something like that on July 4 in Washington down Pennsylvania Avenue,” Trump said at the time, according to CNBC. “We’re going to have to try to top it, but we have a lot of planes going over and a lot of military might, and it was really a beautiful thing to see, and representatives from different wars and different uniforms."
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
