The U.S. Army is gearing up for an extravagant celebration of its 250th anniversary with a grand military parade in Washington, D.C., coinciding with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. The parade, featuring thousands of service members and heavy military equipment, has stirred controversy over its perceived politicization of the armed forces during peacetime. Despite long-standing plans for the anniversary festivities, the addition of the parade in recent months has significantly increased the event’s budget and logistical challenges.

Scheduled to kick off with a public festival and military demonstrations around the National Mall, the parade will showcase American military history and power, including armored tanks, artillery vehicles, army aircraft, and over 6,000 uniformed troops. The weekend’s events are expected to draw around 200,000 attendees and cost between $25 million and $45 million, with associated road repairs to accommodate the heavy machinery.

Critics, particularly Democratic lawmakers, have condemned the parade as a vanity project for the President and a misallocation of funds, likening it to displays of military might seen in authoritarian regimes. As the city braces for the parade, with significant street closures and heightened security measures, planned protests across the country aim to counter the narrative of military grandeur, emphasizing community unity and rejecting strongman politics. Amidst the preparations, concerns over the parade’s implications on the presidency’s authority and historical precedents of military displays in American democracy have sparked a national dialogue on the event’s significance.