Washington, D.C. is gearing up for a large-scale military parade set to take place on Saturday, June 14th, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Army, coinciding with President Trump’s 79th birthday.
Matt McCool, the head of the Secret Service’s Washington D.C. office, stated that preparations are underway for a massive gathering of people. He mentioned that the city will erect over 18 miles of “anti-climb fencing” and deploy “multiple drones” for aerial surveillance. Washington D.C. is usually a no-fly zone for drones.
Army officials estimate that around 200,000 people will participate in the parade on Saturday evening, with McCool stating that he is prepared for “hundreds of thousands of people” to attend.
“We have a large number of metal detectors,” he said. “If a million people show up, we will be facing long lines.”
The event will be equipped with a total of 175 metal detectors to control public entry at security checkpoints. Pamela Smith, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, predicted that this will have a “significant impact” on traffic and advised attendees to arrive early and consider using public transportation instead of driving.
“This is a major event with wide-reaching implications,” she said. “We rely on the public to be our extra eyes and ears.”
The parade has been designated as a “National Special Security Event,” a security level similar to presidential inaugurations or state funerals. This security level is only applicable to events that attract large crowds and may prompt extensive protests. It requires close coordination between Washington D.C. officials, the FBI, Capitol Police, and the D.C. National Guard, with the Secret Service leading the security efforts.
Preparations for the Army’s birthday celebration have been underway for months. However, as the celebration falls on Trump’s 79th birthday, he announced earlier this spring the plans to transform the event into a large-scale military parade, featuring tanks and other heavy weaponry marching through the city streets.
Phillip Bates, a special agent in charge of counterterrorism and crisis management at the FBI’s Washington D.C. office, stated that there are currently “no credible threats” directed towards the event.
(Information sourced from Reuters reporting)