Trump: Triumphal Arch Will Double as Military Complex for Drones and Snipers

President Trump said Sunday he has agreed to convert the planned 250-foot Triumphal Arch at Memorial Circle into a “top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch,” citing what he called a “strong request” from the U.S. military and national-security needs. The site sits in the circle adjoining Arlington Memorial Bridge, between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

In a Truth Social post he said the structure would “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.” He added, “There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World.” A Defense Department official told Reuters the Pentagon had nothing to add beyond the post. The White House did not immediately comment.

Trump wrote that the arch had been “planned since the Civil War Era” and that “out of the 59 top cities and Capitals, Washington, D.C., IS THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD THAT DOES NOT HAVE A TRIUMPHAL ARCH, but it will now and, by far, the greatest of them all.” Earlier descriptions cast the project as a monument and tourist attraction with an observation deck. The military functions had not been part of the public design brief during months of federal review.

Some reports put the planned width at about 166 feet, more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial. The National Endowment for the Humanities has reserved $15 million for initial planning. Published estimates of a full price tag have run near $100 million; the administration has not released a final figure. Trump has used a similar national-security argument for the White House ballroom project, which he has also called a military complex.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday the proposed height would not pose a hazard to Reagan National Airport traffic if safety lighting is installed. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose current members were appointed by Trump, gave the design early approval. The National Capital Planning Commission cleared the site and preliminary plans in July and is expected to take the project up again this fall.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Sept. 3 that excavation would start within two weeks. Construction has been discussed for this fall, including as soon as November. Three veterans and an architectural historian have sued, arguing Congress must approve the work. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has ordered the government to give the court advance notice — in one order 48 hours, in an earlier order two weeks — before construction or demolition at Memorial Circle.

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said putting a drone-launch site in the landing path for Reagan National was “stupid, dangerous, and unworkable.” The National Park Service has previously found the arch would adversely affect one or more historic properties in the Lincoln Memorial–Arlington corridor. Trump did not name a specific threat or the officers who made the request.