Overview

• Organizers have installed one-inch-thick steel plating at sharp turns and allocated up to $16 million to fix street damage ahead of the event.
• The 90-minute procession will feature over 9,000 service members, 130 vehicles—including tanks and armored fighting vehicles—and more than 50 aircraft.
• House Armed Services Committee members criticized the parade’s $45 million budget and highlighted the Pentagon’s $1 billion shift from base housing and other accounts to bolster southern border defenses.
• Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and Gen. Randy George defended the spectacle as a recruitment boost, noting the service has already met its annual goal with 61,000 new enlistees.
• Beyond the march, the June 14 celebration includes a wreath-laying ceremony, military demonstrations, a concert and fireworks expected to draw at least 200,000 spectators.