By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-09-20 17:11:42 | Updated at 2026-09-20 18:17:50
1 hour ago
An artist's rendering of President Donald Trump's proposed "Independence Arch" in a handout obtained on April 10, 2026. U.S. Commission on Fine Arts/Handout via Reuters
President Donald Trump has announced that his proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery would also serve as a military facility capable of storing and deploying drones and positioning snipers.
In a Sept. 20 Truth Social post, Trump said the change was made at the “strong request” of the U.S. military for national security purposes.
Trump said the arch would double as a “top grade military complex” and would have the “rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas.”
“There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World,” Trump said on Truth Social. “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!”
Trump announced the arch in October 2025 as part of his effort to beautify Washington and commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.
The 250-foot structure, inspired by the 164-foot Arc de Triomphe in Paris, would stand on an island in Memorial Circle on Columbia Island, at the western end of Arlington Memorial Bridge. Plans included a mezzanine at 166 feet, a 24-foot observation deck, and a 60-foot statue of Lady Liberty.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) on Sunday criticized Trump’s announcement.
“Putting a drone launching site directly in the landing path for [Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport] is a stupid, dangerous, and unworkable idea,” Beyer said on X. “Trump clearly expects to lose a lawsuit and therefore wants to set up a pretext to argue that the arch is tied to national security.”
The proposal has been approved by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The National Park Service supports the project but has said it would adversely affect sightlines among monuments.
The National Capital Planning Commission approved preliminary building plans in July but said issues must be addressed before final review, including the project’s height, effect on transportation, and aviation safety lighting. Commissioners also requested that the applicants give a justification for the project’s height.
A group of veterans and a historian have sued to stop construction, saying the arch requires new congressional authorization. The Trump administration said that a 1925 statute authorizing columns at the same site already provides that authority.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, three veterans of the Vietnam war, are against the arch representing veterans in Arlington Cemetery, which includes veterans of all of America’s major wars, including the Vietnam war.
The Justice Department contends that Congress authorized large structures at the site decades ago and gave authority to the National Park Service to change the design.
