Monument or military outpost? Feds mum on Trump plan to arm triumphal arch with drones, snipers
by Matt Delaney · The Washington TimesFederal agencies offered little insight into how President Trump will turn his proposed triumphal arch in a busy traffic circle near Arlington National Cemetery into a security site capable of launching drones and supporting snipers.
The National Park Service, which controls Memorial Circle in Arlington where the arch is supposed to go, could not be reached for comment. Mr. Trump originally pitched the idea for the arch as a memorial to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary.
The Federal Aviation Administration referred all questions to the White House. The FAA recently approved an “eternal flame” atop the proposed arch to mark its location for flights at the nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
In a Truth Social post Sunday, Mr. Trump said he agreed with a Pentagon suggestion to equip the arch with drones, ammunition and sniper vantage points for national security reasons, but the White House didn’t address the project’s new scope Tuesday.
When asked for comment on Monday, a Pentagon spokesperson said the Defense Department had no information beyond Mr. Trump’s social media post.
“The Triumphal Arch in Memorial Circle is going to be one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told The Washington Times on Tuesday.
“It will enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, the families of the fallen, and all Americans alike, serving as a visual reminder of the noble sacrifices borne by so many American heroes throughout our 250 year history so we can enjoy our freedoms today. President Trump will continue to honor our veterans and give the greatest Nation on earth — America — the glory it deserves,” Mr. Ingle said.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced plans to begin surveying land for the 250-foot-tall arch this month, but it’s likely Mr. Trump’s new interest in using it for offensive and defensive reasons may postpone that process.
Advertisement Advertisement
Last week, the FAA approved the arch because it ruled it wouldn’t interfere with incoming and outgoing flights at Reagan Airport. Commercial jetliners usually follow a tight flight path along the Potomac River, with the traffic circle set to host the arch sitting less than 500 feet from the water’s edge.
The federal agency also overruled one of its previous findings that said the arch would need to be fitted with flashing red lights to alert aircraft of its presence. The FAA instead said a “non-standard eternal flame” that is illuminated by searchlights around-the-clock can satisfy that requirement.
It’s unclear how the proposed deployment of drones would affect this approval, but Rep. Don Beyer, Virginia Democrat, said it would restart the entire process.
“Putting a drone launching site directly in the landing path for DCA is a stupid, dangerous, and unworkable idea,” Mr. Beyer, who represents Arlington County in Congress, said Tuesday in a statement. “But if Trump wants to pursue it, the FAA’s prior work over the past six months to rubber-stamp this proposal with a dubious safety study will be obsolete, and they will have to do it all over again.”
The Arlington County Board had prepared to sue the Trump administration if it went through with constructing the arch without the necessary approvals.
Advertisement Advertisement
That threat still holds, especially after Board Chair Matt de Ferranti called the willingness to add military weaponry to the arch “deeply unsettling.”
“The County has engaged for months on the Arch proposal’s review process and none of these elements — which will fundamentally alter the construction, safety, and community impacts of this project — were included,” Mr. de Ferranti, a Democrat, said in a statement to The Times.
“The Board previously authorized the County Attorney to file a lawsuit regarding the proposed construction. If this administration continues to ignore its own procedures, then we will hold them accountable to the greatest extent possible under the law,” he said.
Historic preservationists in the District and Virginia, who were supposed to sign a memorandum of agreement Monday in support of the project, said outfitting the monument into a pseudo-armory challenges their backing.
Advertisement Advertisement
“This MOA is DOA,” Charles Birnbaum of the Cultural Landscape Foundation wrote to the administration on Monday, according to an email obtained by The Washington Post.
• Mike Glenn contributed to this story.
Contact the author
Matt Delaney
Follow author updates Follow Click to follow. Manage followed authors