Trump Asks Pentagon to Plan Military Parade

Wall Street Journal ^ | February 7, 2018 | Julie Bykowicz

[reaganaut1]

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Defense is planning a military parade at the request of President Donald Trump, White House and Pentagon officials said Tuesday.

After observing the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris last year, Mr. Trump said he wanted to hold a similar parade on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, perhaps to celebrate the Fourth of July.

The French parade last July, which also marked the centennial of the U.S. entry into World War I, featured more than 6,000 service members, tanks and planes overhead in an elaborate display of military might. French President Emmanuel Macron invited Mr. Trump to watch the parade beside him.

“It was one of the greatest parades I’ve ever seen,” Mr. Trump said in September at the Lotte New York Palace hotel. “And to a large extent, because of what I witnessed, we may do something like that on July Fourth in Washington, down Pennsylvania Avenue. I don’t know. We’re going to have to try and top it.”

The Washington Post first reported the Mr. Trump had asked the Pentagon to arrange an event in the Bastille Day style. Pentagon officials said late Tuesday that plans were in their infancy.

On Wednesday, the chairman of the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joe Dunford, acknowledged the parade plans while traveling in Asia. “I’m aware of the president’s request and we are in the initial planning stages to meet the president’s direction,” he said during a stop in Bangkok.

The White House said the decision demonstrated Mr. Trump’s support for the military.

[ExpatGator]

The Brits are also still members of the EU and censor what their citizens can say.
Do you propose that we comport ourselves with all things British or with just what you choose? Nationalized/Socialized medicine? A royal family? Parliament?
I could go on all day....lol.

[ExpatGator]

Yep.

[crz]

Let me make it a tad more clear to you per hauling one of those tanks. An abrams weighs abt 60 tons. Thats about 120,000 pounds. Its over weight, and over width. Now for anything OTHER than national emergency, they have to obtain the proper permits to transport-requires pilot cars as well as designated routes. They CAN NOT be transported over restricted bridges or routes. They CAN NOT be transported after dark or before dawn.

The combined weight of the truck, trailer, and tank would be in excess of 150,000 pounds. Then you have to get it to the final destination, which would be on the mall in DC. Unload it as to NOT damage to roadbed-dont think you can simply drive the mother effer off the truck and do whatever.

The ground weight of that tank on the road bed once it is unloaded is no problem, but I assure you..when they run those things down the road like they do in Europe, they DO NOT turn sharply BECAUSE WHY? Because they will rip the hell out of the road. Especially if its hot out.

[ExpatGator]

Did you spend 8 of those 12 months before the parade deployed away from your family? Then a month back in homeport replenishing the ship and then go right to training for the next deployment? No? Well, I have and that’s what the real military does. It leaves little enough time for family, (hence the ridiculous divorce rate amongst deployable military folks), much less time for dog and pony shows such as this thread pertains to.
Was your generation more given to honoring our country than my shipmates were? Inquiring minds want to know.

[ExpatGator]

Amen, Brother.

[ExpatGator]

Actually Admiral Richmond Turner Kelly was the preeminent subject matter expert on amphibious landings. That he was handpicked as the Officer in Command of the planned amphibious assault on the Japanese home islands is proof of his preeminence in regards amphibious assault planning and command.
Patton was a SME on armored operations and proved it numerous times through the course of the war.
Your ignorance on the subject is glaring. Blindingly so.

[ExpatGator]

Roger that! It is remarkable.

[ExpatGator]

I proposed no such thing.
Yours is a strawman attack of the basest nature.
Oh, it’s been nice hearing from you. I suspect we will hear less of this sort from you in the future. Oh noooooo, there’s no delete on FR!

[DoodleDawg]

Dang, D’Dawg, I think you’ve found an admirer.

We've crossed paths before. I just mark down his sour disposition to living in a Blue state.

[Chainmail]

Honestly, no, the defense budget could never handle every single able-bodied young man we have - but it would be a great thing to have many more good men volunteer for service instead of what the DoD has to resort to now - huge bonuses to lure top candidates, recruiting women for jobs they really shouldn't be in, etc.

I'm sorry I have been caught whining about my experiences during my war. In my idealistic view, if we had had a massive turnout of tough, able volunteers, the enemy would have folded quickly.

I know now that the vast majority of the troops we did have were employed to support a 10,000 mile logistic and maintenance bridge and there were only 10% or less in direct combat - so we would've been few no matter what the recruiting situation would have been.

Sure has made high school reunions tough, though. None of the manly football team members joined.

[Chainmail]

All of your points are correct - but we would still have to deal with those same problems if we were faced with a national mobilization for a major war.

Therefore, facing and learning how to deal with rail and road transportation of heavy armored assets is excellent preparation and training we rarely get.

If I were the G-4 in charge, I'd get the tanks to the nearest open railhead and use the military transporters (we do have them) to get them to the staging and practice area. I wouldn't worry too much about the road surface with the Abrams - 15 PSI ground pressure and rubber cleats on the tracks.

[TexasGunLover]

And if you’re not from Texas, change your “handle” which is misleading.

Handle? 10-4 good buddy. I am born and raised in Texas and have never lived anywhere else.

Perhaps you're unfamiliar with Theodore Roosevelt's saying, "speak softly, and carry a big stick?".

To me, it's similar to Matthew saying, "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men."

Sometimes setting yourself apart from 2 bit countries like NK, Russia, China and every despot South American country says more than a parade.

[Chainmail]

"Sometimes setting yourself apart from 2 bit countries like NK, Russia, China and every despot South American country says more than a parade"

1.Uh, I wouldn't call Russia and China "2 bit": they are nearly peer competitors and dangerous as hell.

2. I haven't heard of any South American despots holding military parades - but you live closer to them than I do, so I'll defer to your knowledge on this.

We have never held an "intimidation parade" - we have always held celebration parades. In my view, we are long overdue for a good one.

I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you never graced a uniform, have you?

[TexasGunLover]

I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you never graced a uniform, have you?

You are absolutely correct. Would you care to comment on those who have served on the thread and their disdain for this parade suggestion? I tend to trust and respect those who have served, and given they seem against it, why are you discounting their take on the matter?

I haven't heard of any South American despots holding military parades

Search engines are your friend!
http://eccentricculinary.com/the-chilean-army-boldly-goose-stepping-into-the-future/

[Chainmail]

I have no idea what experience our other military veterans have had and I certainly read their opinions with interest.

However, I have somewhat more experience than most - 27 years in uniform - so I have seen the depths that Democratic leadership has taken respect to our armed forces to. Like I said earlier, we went through a period where we had to wear civilian clothes to the Pentagon to avoid arousing unhappy reactions of our liberal betters.

A good military parade has several great benefits:

Showing the American people the state of readiness and fitness of our young service people. And showing everyone that they are like everyone else, not some faceless "military" as the Left would have you believe.

Training our different services in the logistics and issues in the mass movement of men and materiel - quite similar to what would be required if we had to move large units to the West coast, for instance if things brew up in North Korea.

Also an excellent recruiting tool to present our armed forces as a meritorious and even elite organization, unlike the image pushed by three generations of communist-leaning educators.

An excellent motivator for those in the "thin green line" to show our appreciation and admiration.

So - why do you have a problem with that?

[TexasGunLover]

So - why do you have a problem with that?

First, thank you for your service, genuinely. Something I've taught my children to do, and I have always done as it was instilled in my by father is to walk up to any service member and thank them in public.

I can appreciate your take on the parade. In my mind, my reaction is that I associate a military parade with the countries I've mentioned before. I also subscribe to the fact that sometimes, less is more. In other words, something that regularly demonstrates the superiority of American forces is that they don't have these shows of force. It's just my opinion and reaction. I haven't served and so don't have a horse in that race, but I've read both opinions on the thread.

For me, what makes our military great is that they don't perform these same shows of force, but bring victory. I also fully support celebration and parades of soldiers coming back from active duty.

[crz]

No. We do not have to deal with those problems if we have to ramp up for a major war. The rules change and at that time national security overrules state commerce laws.

The national road system give top priority to national security at that time. Matter of fact, I have been told that if any state DOT officers gets in the way at that time, he/she can be detained.

[ExpatGator]

Yeah, but I’ve lived in the Blue and not behaved in that manner. I get, and respect that others hold different opinions on this and other issues, but the sheer contempt and disrespect are a bit surprising given our mutually held basic beliefs and goals.

[DoodleDawg]

Yeah, but I’ve lived in the Blue and not behaved in that manner.

What can I say? He's really, really grumpy most of the time. Only things that seem to make him happy are tariffs and the Confederacy. And now military parades.