USAupdated 55m ago2 min read
Trump Administration Releases Final Plans For 250-Foot Triumphial Arch Omitting Military Complex
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Final arch plans omit drones, snipers, and other military complex features. Interior Department documents to NCPC show no military facilities in the plan.
Arch Plans Without Military
The Trump administration released final plans for its proposed 250-foot triumphal arch, and the documents made public by the federal National Capital Planning Commission omitted key features of a “military complex” that President Donald Trump had cited as justification for the project. The documents described the proposal as a “ceremonial gateway” to the nation’s capital, and the plans submitted Friday did not appear to reflect a national security purpose.
Trump announced in September that the arch would sit directly across Arlington National Cemetery and would store large numbers of drones and function as a post for military snipers, with a large cache of ammunition. The Interior Department spokesperson told CNN that the current design is capable of accommodating the national security functions Trump highlighted in a social media post, and the spokesperson said the structure will “enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, the families of the fallen, and all Americans alike.”
Drones, Snipers, and Disputes
President Donald Trump said on Sept. 20 that the Memorial Circle project should house a “top-grade military complex,” and he described it as storing large numbers of drones and snipers on both the roof and plaza areas, along with storing large quantities of sniper ammunition.
The final project plans published by the Interior Department made no mention of defense facilities, and the documents indicated “There are no indications the project will include military infrastructure based on the submitted details.”
A White House official told The Washington Post on a condition of anonymity that Trump’s plans for the arch had not changed, while the official said the administration did not plan to publicly release information about national security at this stage.
Rep. Don Beyer criticized the plan to install a drone launching site directly in the landing path for incoming aircraft at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and Beyer said Trump’s idea would place “a large weapons cache within feet of thousands of tourists, pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers” on major thoroughfares and Metro’s Blue Line.
Review Timeline and Fallout
The National Capital Planning Commission scheduled a hearing on Nov. 5 to discuss the prospective arch, and the planning agency was set to review the plans during its Nov. 5 meeting.
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation conducted a private call last week on the matter, and the agency said an analysis on the use of the arch as a military asset would be considered separately from construction plans already moving through a historical review and approval process.
The Pentagon referred CNN to the White House for comment, and the White House did not respond to CNN’s inquiry about whether the administration would release national security-related information.
The Federal Aviation Administration concluded the arch would not pose a safety hazard to aircraft, and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA president Sara Nelson said, “DCA is already stretched to its limit, we do not need an obstacle taking up space in our flight path.”