Trump says monumental arch in Washington, DC will also be military complex
Plans for the arch had been met with opposition along with other projects by the US president to reshape capital city.
A planned “triumphal arch” near some of the most iconic landmarks in Washington, DC, will also be a military complex used to store drones and other military equipment, according to United States President Donald Trump.
The changes were made at the request of the military and for “National Security purposes,” Trump posted on his social media platform on Sunday.
The project would now be used to “house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas, and additionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage,” Trump said. “There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World.”
In February, three veterans of the Vietnam War filed a lawsuit against the plan, saying it would block the view between the cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, erected to honour the US president who oversaw the Civil War. The view from the monument, the veterans said in a court filing, was “carefully designed to symbolise the unification of the country after the Civil War and the strength of a united nation”. Any major monument around the capital, the lawsuit also argued, would need approval from the US Congress. A judge ordered the Trump administration to provide notice of any work on the monument, but courts have not ruled on the larger challenge yet.