Latest news with #M1A2Abrams
The Guardian
14-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Traffic jams and tanks: Washington DC braces for Trump's military parade
The people of Washington DC have seen unusual traffic on Rhode Island Avenue this week: flatbed trucks, escorted by police and laden with military tanks traversing the thoroughfare that connects the city's suburbs with downtown. The convoys have left traffic jams in their wake, and even more disruptions are to come for the capital city. Thousands of soldiers accompanied by armored vehicles, aircraft, horses and even a couple of mules are set to parade down the National Mall to mark the army's 250th anniversary on Saturday – which also happens to be the day Donald Trump turns 79. 'I think it's time for us to celebrate a little bit. You know, we've had a lot of victories,' the president said earlier this week. 'It is my birthday, but I'm not celebrating my birthday,' he acknowledged, instead pointing to the Flag Day holiday that also takes place on Saturday. The more than 700,000 residents of the nation's capital are used to seeing their monuments and streets commandeered by politicians, including Trump, who convened thousands of people on the White House ellipse on January 6 in 2021, some of whom went on to attack the Capitol. The military parade is scheduled to last only a handful of hours, but busy roads nearby will be closed for up to four days, and Ronald Reagan Washington National airport will suspend flights for an unspecified amount of time during the event. Parading dozens of M1A2 Abrams tanks and other armored vehicles down city streets built to carry vehicles a little more than half their weight may also leave the city with hefty repair bills to deal with. The parade has also made Washington DC the second US city to which Trump has deployed soldiers, albeit for very different reasons. In recent days, he has ordered federalized California national guard troops and US marines on to the streets of Los Angeles over the objections of state and city leaders, saying their presence is necessary to allow immigration authorities to arrest undocumented people. The deployment has sparked fears he plans to regularly use the military against his domestic enemies. The spectacle in Washington DC will be the first military parade since 1991, when George HW Bush greeted troops after the Gulf war. According to the army, the parade will proceed for eight blocks down Constitution Avenue Northwest, beginning at the Lincoln Memorial and ending just past the White House. Any protesters, Trump has warned: 'will be met with very heavy force'. Washington DC is overwhelmingly Democratic, and the federal district's non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives, Eleanor Holmes Norton, has blasted the event as 'a performative military parade in the style of authoritarian leaders' that 'will not serve any legitimate purpose'. Muriel Bowser, the Democratic mayor who appears to have a cordial relationship with Trump, has avoided similar criticism, instead emphasizing her administration's preparations to handle crowds that the Secret Service estimates could climb into the hundreds of thousands. 'There's going to be a parade aspect, but don't lose sight of the fact that a lot of people served in the army. A lot of families, a lot of people are into aircraft and other equipment,' she told reporters last month. As for the potential of tanks tearing up city streets, Bowser said: 'I remain concerned about it, I have to tell you. These are, for the most part, local streets, and if they're rendered unusable, we have to make them usable and then go seek our money from the feds.' A city spokesman declined further comment. An army spokesperson, Heather J Hagan, said the entire parade would cost between $25m and $45m. While the army anticipates 'minimal damage to roads', she said tanks would be fitted with rubber pads and one-inch thick steel plates will be placed 'strategically' on the route 'as a precautionary measure'. She declined to comment on who would pay for damages to city infrastructure. Advisory neighborhood commissioners, who are elected to represent chunks of Washington DC's eight wards, have been comparatively outspoken against the event. This week, commissioners representing part of Capitol Hill approved a resolution calling military parades 'more typical of authoritarian governments than of democracies' and urging its cancellation. Jim Malec, an advisory neighborhood commissioner who represents part of the Foggy Bottom neighborhood near the parade route, said its preparations have already created 'significant disruptions', and noted the procession will take place not far from where the city cleared homeless encampments at Trump's urging earlier this year. 'I think it's appalling that we're spending $45m on a parade after kicking out, from that same area, the people who are the most vulnerable residents of our neighborhood,' he said. Washington DC has repeatedly been knocked by Trump and his Republican allies since he returned to the White House. His campaign to thin the ranks of federal workers by coaxing them to resign or outright firing them has prompted concerns about an economic downturn in the city and surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs. Meanwhile, Republican majorities in Congress have set about meddling in the federal district's affairs, which is allowed by the law. This week, the House passed bills to stop noncitizens from voting in local elections, undo a prohibition on the police union bargaining over disciplinary matters, and prevent its administration from not cooperating with immigration authorities. The chamber's leaders also have yet to schedule a vote on legislation to undo a $1bn cut to the city's budget they made earlier this year. Samuel Port, a former army logistics officer living in a Maryland suburb adjacent to the capital who recently lost his contracting job when the Trump administration moved to close the US Agency for International Development (USAID) , said his experience with tanks leaves him in no doubt that they will tear up roads on their drive through the city. And their engines, he predicted, will make anyone who comes near them unpleasantly hot on a day where the National Weather Service predicts a high of 88F (31C) , in addition to spewing plenty of pollution into the air. 'I do think it's important and necessary to celebrate important things involving the history of the military and veterans in general,' Port said. 'Trump is using this as an excuse to benefit and to prop up himself up for his birthday. And by doing that he not only politicizes the military in that way to support him and his ego, but also it really demeans the soldiers as well, because it's using them as a political prop.'
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Army deletes video of DC parade tanks with 'Hang Fauci & Bill Gates' graffiti
A now-deleted Army video of tanks being loaded onto a train to Washington, D.C., to appear in the massive June 14 military parade for the Army's 250th anniversary showed a graffitied message spray-painted on the side of the train car – "Hang Fauci & Bill Gates." The video, posted to the Army's X account on Saturday, has since disappeared. It showed an M1A2 Abrams – a 70-ton battle tank – rolling onto a train car at Fort Cavazos in Texas. The death threat to Fauci and Gates – two people who have drawn the ire of President Donald Trump's MAGA base – was painted on a train car marked DODX, property of the Defense Department. Steve Warren, an Army spokesperson, said the Army has no plans to investigate. "We removed the post once notified of graffiti on the train that didn't align with Army values," he said. "We are excited to celebrate 250 years of service to the nation next week." Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the government's response to COVID during Trump's first term, and Bill Gates, the billionaire Microsoft founder, are frequent targets of criticism from Republicans and Trump's supporters. Fauci has said he received a deluge of death threats and harassment since he became a magnet for right-wing outrage as the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during the Pandemic, making him the public face of many pandemic social distancing policies and the COVID vaccine. Republicans have accused him of funding the Chinese government to create the virus and conservative firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said he "belongs in prison." "I still think deep down that there's a possibility that somebody's going to kill me," Fauci told USA TODAY in a 2024 interview. Former President Joe Biden issued a preemptive pardon for Fauci before he left office, anticipating that Trump would seek revenge against the doctor. Days into his second term, Trump pulled federal funding for Fauci's security detail. Gates, a Democratic Party donor who contributed millions to Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, also frequently pops up in some conspiracy theories. He has funded vaccination campaigns in poor countries, fueling online speculation that his vaccines contain microchips to track people. The tank in the video was one of 28 tanks and more than two dozen armored vehicles making the weeks-long, cross-country journey to appear in the Army's 250th anniversary parade in the nation's capital on June 14. The tanks and vehicles will be unloaded from the train cars on June 9 in Jessup, Maryland, and transported to downtown Washington by truck. More: Trump's getting his military parade. Here's what they look like from France to Russia The Army is also laying down steel plates on spots in the parade route where the tanks will turn to protect the roads and has said it will pay for any damage they sustain. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said on May 29 she is still "concerned" about road damage. The parade has faced scrutiny for conspicuously falling on President Donald Trump's birthday – also June 14. Trump pushed for a military parade during this first term but canceled his plans after pushback from Democrats and local politicians over the cost and logistics. This time around, the parade is estimated to cost as much as $40 million. Around 7,000 soldiers will also arrive in Washington for the occasion, which will also feature historic warplanes, helicopters, parachutists, and a bevy of events and entertainment. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Army scrubs vid of parade tank with 'Hang Fauci & Bill Gates' graffiti
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Israel-Iran war looming? US evacuates non-essential staff from middle-east, UK cautions ships in Gulf
Amid rising tensions with Iran over its nuclear program, the U.S. is reducing its non-essential staff presence in the Middle East, including Baghdad, Bahrain, and Kuwait. This decision reflects concerns about regional unrest, with potential impacts on maritime activities. While diplomatic talks face uncertainty, military readiness and security assessments are being closely monitored. A soldier looks out from an M1A2 Abrams tank ahead of the upcoming U.S. Army 250th anniversary celebration parade in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 11, 2025. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, the United States is drawing down non-essential personnel from several diplomatic and military sites across the Middle East , citing growing regional State Department on Wednesday ordered the departure of all nonessential staff from the US Embassy in Baghdad, noting ongoing security concerns and a commitment to protecting American lives. While the embassy was already operating with limited personnel, the move marks a further nonessential staff and family members in Bahrain and Kuwait have been authorized to leave at government expense, the department Central Command said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved the voluntary departure of military dependents across the region as a precautionary step. "CENTCOM is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East," the statement Donald Trump, speaking at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday, acknowledged the drawdown: 'They are being moved out, because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens.'The US and Iran appear to be at a diplomatic impasse over Iran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. A sixth round of talks, initially set for this weekend in Oman, is now in doubt, according to two American speaking on the Pod Force One podcast, said he was "getting more and more less confident" about a breakthrough with Iran. 'They seem to be delaying... Something happened to them.'Iran, for its part, pushed back on the mounting pressure. Its UN mission stated, 'Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon, and US militarism only fuels instability.' Defense Minister Gen Aziz Nasirzadeh warned that Iran is fully prepared to respond to any military conflict.'If conflict is imposed, the opponent's casualties will certainly be more than ours... all [US] bases in host countries are within our reach,' he a parallel move, the United Kingdom issued a maritime alert, warning ships in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and Strait of Hormuz about the risk of military escalation. The UK Maritime Trade Operations center urged vessels to exercise a possible censure of Iran is on the agenda at the International Atomic Energy Agency, which could pave the way for the reimposition of UN sanctions under the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal — from which Trump withdrew during his first Erik Kurilla, head of US Central Command, was scheduled to testify before the Senate on Thursday, but the hearing has been postponed without officials, meanwhile, downplayed the significance of the US Embassy drawdown in Baghdad, calling it part of a broader US regional reassessment.'There are no security indicators that warrant evacuation,' Iraq's state-run news agency quoted an unnamed official as saying.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Fort Cavazos vehicles ready for Army birthday celebration
Washington, DC (FOX44) – Vehicles sent by rail to take part in the Army's 250th birthday celebration have been unloaded and prepared for the event, The vehicles are being staged at the West Potomac Park Waterfront in Washington after being offloaded at a rail yard in Jessup, Maryland. The vehicles had traveled just under 2,000 miles by rail after being loaded at Fort Cavazos. The Army will celebrate its 250th birthday on June 14 with multiple events in the Nation`s Capital. Events include a day-long festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., a parade and a spectacular fireworks display. Part of the parade preparation process included moving U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams tanks, M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, M109A6 Paladin Howitzers, and other equipment by rail to Washington D.C. The vehicles were assigned to various units within the 1st Cavalry Division. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
From Los Angeles to Washington, Trump leans in as commander in chief
President Donald Trump loves displays of military force. He's parading two very different kinds this week. On one coast, military forces are arriving by the thousands to defend federal buildings and agents, facing off with civilians protesting the president's immigration agenda. On the other, they're readying a celebration of American military might in a parade held on the Army's — and Trump's — birthday. The scenes in Los Angeles and Washington underscore how Trump is leveraging his role as commander-in-chief in a much clearer and more urgent way than he did during his first term — embodying the image of a strong military commander that he has long admired in other foreign leaders, allies and adversaries alike. Trump has long seen the military and his command of it as a sign of his own strength and even expressed a sense of ownership over it. During the first term he referred to John Kelly and James Mattis, the retired four-star Marine generals who served in his Cabinet, as 'my generals.' Trump allies say time has reinforced that sense and removed any inhibitions, allowing him to expand his role as commander-in-chief even further, whether that's showing off the military in a parade or using it to quell protests. 'When you have four years out of office, you really have an opportunity to reflect on how you would do the job differently — and I think you see that manifesting itself in countless ways,' said Sean Spicer, who was press secretary during Trump's first term. 'He is much more confident in command.' And, Spicer added: 'He does love being commander in chief.' In recent days, Trump has mobilized thousands of California's National Guardsmen and deployed hundreds of Marines — in defiance of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom — to stamp out protests in Los Angeles over his deportation agenda. It comes as he prepares to preside over a very different show of force on Saturday with the kind of Americana-drenched military parade he has long dreamed of in celebration of the Army's 250th birthday. More than 100 military vehicles and thousands of soldiers are set to participate, with M1A2 Abrams tanks rolling down Constitution Avenue in front of the White House and Black Hawk, Apache and Chinook helicopters and World War II- and Vietnam-era planes circling overhead. The price tag, which could range anywhere from $25 million to $50 million, will dwarf any other military parade in recent memory, according to the Army. As of Tuesday afternoon, at least a dozen military vehicles, including humvees, were staged in a Pentagon parking lot. In addition, several dozen tanks and other military vehicles were sitting in West Potomac Park. Trump has wanted to hold a military parade in Washington since he accompanied French President Emmanuel Macron to a 2017 Bastille Day parade, where troops marched down the Champs-Élysées while fighter jets flew overhead, leaving trails of red, white, and blue smoke behind them. Trump later called it 'one of the greatest parades I've ever seen,' but aides advised him against throwing a similar affair. Trump has also heaped praise on military displays from adversaries. During a 2017 state visit to China, Trump called a military parade 'magnificent,' and after North Korea toned down its military parade in 2018 to reportedly exclude nuclear weapons, he praised the country for making a 'big and very positive statement.' Marc Short, who served as Trump's legislative affairs director and Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff during the president's first term, said the timing of the Washington parade and the Los Angeles protests was coincidental, but acknowledged the two events offer a sharp contrast. 'He always wanted a military parade the first administration,' he said. 'There's no doubt there's some things that the second go-around he feels like he learned from the first administration the way he wants to do a second time.' One former Trump official, who like others in this story was granted anonymity to speak freely, called both the administration's response to the Los Angeles protests and the military parade a 'holistic approach to national security using all elements of state power as needed.' 'This administration understands that civil unrest and social cohesion is integral to our overall security,' the official said. 'You can't be a secure and prosperous country when rioters waving foreign flags are rampaging in a major country.' White House spokesperson Anny Kelly said in a statement that 'America is respected again' with Trump as commander in chief. 'Thanks to this President's leadership, our homeland is secure, military recruitment is up, our warfighters are prioritized, and the U.S. Army is getting the grand celebration it deserves for 250 years of honor, courage, and sacrifice,' Kelly said. Trump's response to the unrest in Los Angeles offered an opportunity to accomplish something he didn't in his first term. His decision to mobilize the first tranche of those troops, just 24 hours after the protests began, without the support of Newsom offered a stark contrast to his response to the protests after the killing of George Floyd in 2020, when he instead waited for governors to deploy their guardsmen. Steve Cortes, a longtime Trump adviser and conservative commentator, said that Trump's response then 'was just not forceful enough, early enough.' 'Trump seems super intent on a very different path now, with a serious show of righteous force to protect American lives and property,' Cortes said. The displays of military force also speak to another theme of his second administration — his desire to bring American institutions to heel, from elite universities and cultural centers to the federal bureaucracy and the military. In a recent address to West Point graduates, the president touted his elimination of the military's diversity, equity and inclusion policies — and that he had 'rebuilt the military.' 'Second term, I think he's really become what I call a unilateralist, which is he wants to do things that he can do on his own — that people can't stop him from doing,' said Tevi Troy, a former White House official under President George W. Bush turned presidential historian. But, Troy noted, that for as much as Trump likes displays of military power and is willing to deploy military resources at home to curb civil unrest, secure the border or assist with deportations, he's been much more reluctant to send soldiers into large-scale combat overseas. Trump has in some ways been more demanding on the military in the first five months of his administration than in his first term, deploying 10,000 active duty and Guard troops to the southern border, using dozens of military transport aircraft to fly migrants around the world, and the deployment of 4,700 troops to Los Angeles. Military parades are a regular occurrence for many branches of the armed forces. The Marines host a small-scale parade at their Washington Barracks near Capitol Hill almost every week of the summer, and the Navy hosts 'Fleet Week' where ships park in city docks. But those do not come at the behest of the president. The scale and optics of Saturday's parade and Trump's expansive deployments of U.S. troops on their own soil have split the Pentagon's traditionally apolitical bureaucracy along party lines, one defense official said. Pro-Trump officials in the Pentagon have defended the event as an Army birthday celebration, while anti-Trump officials have likened it to a North Korean military demonstration. "The U.S. military has always been his flex," one former defense official said of the recent events. "He loves threatening the world with its power. And now he threatens his domestic enemies — which are anyone he casts as liberal or democrat, and anyone who speaks against him."
