The Army will place large metal plates at key points on the streets of Washington to better protect the pavement from the 25 M1 Abrams main battle tanks set to roll through the capital on June 14, a US official told the AP. The tanks are a key part of a parade that will honor the Army's 250th birthday and fall on President Trump's 79th birthday. Since it was announced, the parade has grown in scope and participation, and one of the highlights will be columns of tanks rolling in formation along Constitution Avenue. Each Abrams tank can weigh 60 tons or more and carry a crew of four.
Concerns over the tanks' weight, and what that would do to DC's streets, ultimately kept them from being used for a parade during Trump's first term. The metal plates are considered the best way to protect the streets. The plates weigh hundreds of pounds each and will be placed at points along the parade route where the tanks will turn—and where their metal- and rubber-shoed tracking that helps them move can do the most damage, the official said. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has said if tanks are used on the city's roads, funding to repair any damage they may do should also be part of the plans. Asked on Friday for a response to the Army's plan for metal plates, her office referred to her past comments.
Movement of a single M1 Abrams tank is a loud affair—the movement of 25 in unison is likely to be thunderous, the official said. The parade and celebration will likely cost between $25 million and $45 million, a White House official told the AP. Thousands of troops will march in formation, in uniforms representing every US conflict dating to the Revolutionary War. Each war will have 60 troops in period costume, followed by 400 troops from that same unit in their regular battle dress uniforms. For example, the Civil War will be represented by the Army's 4th Infantry Division, based in Fort Carson, Colorado, with 60 soldiers wearing historical costumes and 400 in today's uniforms. Overall, plans call for about 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles, and 50 helicopters to follow a route from the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, to the National Mall.
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