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CaseyJones
01-20-2017, 09:50 AM
http://nypost.com/2017/01/20/military-refused-trumps-bid-to-parade-missile-launchers-at-inauguration/


The US military shot down President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration team’s bid to have tanks and missile launchers rolling down his parade route Friday, according to a report.

“They were legit thinking Red Square/North Korea-style parade,” an inauguration team source told the Huffington Post, referring to grandiose military parades in Moscow and Pyongyang that are often considered displays of bellicosity.

Trump has made showing off US military might part of his platform.

The military “may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue,” Trump told the Washington Post this week. “That military may be flying over New York City and Washington, DC, for parades. I mean, we’re going to be showing our military.”

Several sources involved in his inaugural preparations told HuffPost that Trump wanted to ensure his first day as commander-in-chief was marked by an unusual display of military hardware.

But military officials balked because of the optics of having tanks and missile launchers rumbling down Pennsylvania Avenue — and because the tanks, which often weigh more than 100,000 pounds, would destroy the roads, the source said.

“I could absolutely see structural support being a reason [not to use tanks],” a Department of Defense official said. “DC is built on a swamp to begin with.”

Defense Department spokeswoman Valerie Henderson referred questions about the request to the Trump transition team.

Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn told the site that the inaugural committee worked closely with the military “to render appropriate honors” for Trump’s swearing-in.

But he directed questions about “specific aspects” of the military’s role back to the Defense Department.

Although Trump’s ideas for the ground displays didn’t fly, the Pentagon was on board with plans for five military flyovers — one for each branch of the armed services, spokesman Major Jamie Davis told HuffPost.

The Air Force plans to fly four fighter jets: an F-35, an F-16, an F-22 and an F-15E. The Navy will fly four F/A-18 combat jets. The Army will fly four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. The Marines will fly four V-22 Ospreys. And the Coast Guard is looking at flying four MH-65 rescue helicopters, Davis said.

Stephen Kerrigan, who held top positions in President Obama’s first and second inaugural committees, said he was “shocked” to hear about the flyovers.

“It seems unnecessary and the optics don’t seem appropriate. … It’s very Red Square,” he told HuffPost.

Washington airspace is highly restricted and in the days after 9/11, planes flying over the city terrified people, Kerrigan said.

“If there are fighter jets flying over Washington, people are going to assume something bad is happening,” he said.

Obama did not use any military aircraft at either of his inaugurations, the Defense Department official said.

There also were no flyovers at President George W. Bush’s 2005 inauguration, but he did have a flyover during his 2001 opening ceremony two days before the inauguration.

President Ronald Reagan had considered including flyovers in his second inauguration in 1985, but one never materialized, the official said. Before that, the last president to include military flyovers during an inauguration was Harry Truman in 1949.

CPUd
01-20-2017, 09:52 AM
Trump to hold military parades as U.S. forces grow


In an interview with The Washington Post this week, President-elect Donald Trump floated the idea of using military parades to make good on his promise of rebuilding America’s greatness.

“Being a great president has to do with a lot of things, but one of them is being a great cheerleader for the country,” Trump said. “And we’re going to show the people as we build up our military, we’re going to display our military.

“That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. That military may be flying over New York City and Washington, D.C., for parades. I mean, we’re going to be showing our military,” he added in the Post interview.

Military parades — complete with tanks and armored vehicles — down Constitution Avenue in Washington are not a common site, even for the Fourth of July Independence Day celebrations.

The last major parade in D.C. that showcased a major display of American power was right after the first Gulf War in the summer of 1991.

More than 200,000 spectators that day watched as 8,000 uniformed troops, armored vehicles, Patriot missile systems and stealth aircraft zoomed overhead.

However, not all spectators were impressed with the show of force that day.

“The elaborate celebration, which cost $12 million, drew scattered protests from critics, who said that it glorified militarism. And the turnout for the parade — estimated at 200,000 by U.S. Park Police — was far below predictions of 1 million or more spectators,” read a Los Angeles Times article covering the spectacle.

Still, Americans certainly enjoy military displays, air shows and parades. Every year Americans turn out for airshows across the country in hopes of getting a glimpse of America’s most famous flight demonstration squadron, the Navy’s Blue Angels, who have performed in front of nearly 500 million spectators since 1946.

However, Trump understands showmanship and parades will not be the only standard of valuation for America’s greatness, The Washington Post’s Karen Tumulty contends.
http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/trump-to-hold-military-parades-as-us-forces-grow

CPUd
01-20-2017, 09:54 AM
https://i.imgur.com/3CWGTmN.jpg

William Tell
01-20-2017, 09:58 AM
sonofa...

CaseyJones
01-20-2017, 10:17 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuSdCXmDOus

A. Havnes
01-20-2017, 11:00 AM
All hail the Dear Leader!

Anti Federalist
01-20-2017, 11:59 AM
About damn time.

I mean, c'mon, we've been living in a bellicose police state for decades before Trump came along.

Might as well at least have the cool military parades.

Make the Soyuz Great Again.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yDrtNEr_5M

enhanced_deficit
01-20-2017, 12:31 PM
That request actually came from Putin to Trump as parting shot towards neocons supported ISIS-Obama cabal. It is good that calmer heads prevailed, ISIS is almost gone just as a result of Trump's tweets.

http://overpassesforamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/trump-putin-obama.png



http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/78/590x/Vladimir-Putin-stations-giant-missile-launcher-in-Syria-capable-of-downing-RAF-planes-619334.jpg

http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/international/soviet%20rocket%20launchers%20banner.jpg



In related news, professional partisan and human rights icon John Jewis says launchers are illegitimate devices.

goldenequity
01-20-2017, 01:12 PM
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/95/bf/46/95bf461f719b68575a3bf0134ca82466.jpg

seapilot
01-20-2017, 03:24 PM
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/95/bf/46/95bf461f719b68575a3bf0134ca82466.jpg

Is that the substitute for the blue angels low flyover? Run faster!!