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US President Donald Trump says his proposed triumphal arch near Washington, DC, will also serve as a military complex for storing equipment and ammunition, according to the BBC.
Trump said on Sunday that he was revising the plans at the “strong request” of the US military and for “national security purposes”. He described the planned facility as a “top grade” military complex capable of rapidly deploying large numbers of drones and snipers.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the complex would include positions for snipers on the roof and plaza areas, as well as storage for large quantities of sniper ammunition.
Plans and location
Trump did not provide details about the updated construction plans or their timeline. It also remains unclear whether additional approval would be required for the military facility.
The 250-foot (76-metre) arch is planned for a site across the Potomac River from Washington, DC, just outside Arlington National Cemetery. Construction was expected to begin this month.
Earlier designs showed a golden, winged Lady Liberty atop the arch, flanked by two gold eagles. The phrases “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” were to be inscribed in gold on either side of the structure.
At 250 feet, the structure would be significantly taller than the nearby 99-foot Lincoln Memorial and about half the height of the Washington Monument.
Trump’s Washington projects
Trump said Washington, DC, was the only one among what he described as the world’s 59 leading cities and capitals without a triumphal arch, although he did not identify the cities included in that figure.
“There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World,” he wrote.
The BBC said it had contacted the US Department of Defense for further information about the revised plans.
During his second term, Trump has pursued several construction and renovation projects in the US capital, including changes to the Oval Office, plans for a White House ballroom estimated to cost about $400 million, paving over the White House Rose Garden and renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
