February 09, 2018
I’m an Iraq War veteran. The military doesn’t want or need Trump’s parade.
A military parade down one of Washington’s broad avenues would seem to epitomize so much that is great about the United States, from the fine fiber of our troops to the might of their fighting machines. Such a spectacle — reportedly ordered by President Trump in a meeting last month with the top brass — would offer a stark contrast to the nation’s current woes and divisions.
And yet such a parade could do more harm than good to the military itself. At a time when each service member and defense dollar counts, and as Trump is pleading with Congress to lift the military from the depths of sequestration, this parade would put those scarce resources toward feeding the president’s ego instead of our national security.
Trump ordered up the parade after being impressed by the pageantry of a French military paradefor Bastille Day that he attended last summer in Paris. To be fair, the French have always had a flair for such things, and they’ve been doing them for more than a century; the 2017 parade was a dazzling display of martial pomp, tailored by French President Emmanuel Macron to flatter Trump by also commemorating the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War I. The parade worked its magic on Trump, who tweeted how it was a “great honor to represent the United States at the magnificent #BastilleDay parade,” and he came home with visions of American troops marching through the streets.
Read the full article in The Washington Post.
More from CNAS
-
Commentary
National Security Human Capital Program
Key Elements of the 2026 National Defense Authorization ActThis article was originally published on War on the Rocks. Although contemplating the personnel requirements of a large-scale conflict — and with it, the potential for casualt...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
Reports
National Security Human Capital Program
Short SupplyExecutive Summary The U.S. military faces a critical challenge: Fewer young Americans are willing to serve, and fewer adults are encouraging them to do so. Because of delibera...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski & Taren Sylvester
-
Commentary
National Security Human Capital Program
Defending the Army’s Command Assessment ProgramThe concept for CAP — developed during the first Trump administration — benefited from the guidance, input and oversight from the foremost scholar and practitioner on military...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
Video
National Security Human Capital Program
‘Women Don’t Just Achieve…They Excel’: Fmr. Marine Corps Attack PilotDr. Kyleanne Hunter, former Marine Corps attack pilot and CEO of Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, says “women are the fastest growing group of veterans” and “the fastes...
By Dr. Kyleanne Hunter
