Trump says planned 250-foot arch in Washington will double as military complex with drones and snipers
US President Donald Trump has announced that his planned triumphal arch near Washington DC will also serve as a military complex capable of storing and deploying drones and sniper ammunition.
A new twist in construction plans
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his planned 250-foot (about 76-metre) triumphal arch near Washington DC will also function as a military complex. According to BBC World, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the changes were made at the "strong request" of the US military and for "national security purposes".
According to the president, the arch complex will be able to store and rapidly deploy large numbers of drones, as well as position snipers on both the roof and the surrounding plaza. The facility will also hold large quantities of sniper ammunition. Trump described it as a "top grade" military complex, claiming "there will be no facility like this anywhere in the World." He gave no details on construction plans or timing, and it remains unclear whether the project requires further approval. The Department of Defense declined to provide additional comment.
Location and design
The arch is planned for a site across the Potomac River from Washington DC, just outside Arlington National Cemetery. Construction had been expected to begin this month. A design rendering released earlier this year shows a golden, winged Lady Liberty statue atop the arch, flanked by two gold eagles, with the phrases "One Nation Under God" and "Liberty and Justice for All" inscribed in gold on either side. From base to the top of the statue, the structure will stand 250 feet (76m) tall — dwarfing the nearby 99-foot Lincoln Memorial and reaching about half the height of the Washington Monument.
Trump also claimed that among the "59 top cities and capitals" in the world, Washington DC is the only one without a triumphal arch, though he did not specify which cities he meant.
Part of a broader capital makeover
The arch is one of several major construction projects Trump has pursued during his second term to remake the capital. Others include a gilded redesign of the Oval Office, a White House ballroom estimated to cost around $400 million, paving over the White House Rose Garden, and renovating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
