Trump says monumental arch in Washington, DC will also be military complex

A planned “triumphal arch” near some of the most iconic landmarks in Washington, DC, will also be a military complex used to store drones and other military equipment, according to United States President Donald Trump.

The changes were made at the request of the military and for “National Security purposes,” Trump posted on his social media platform on Sunday.

The project would now be used to “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,” Trump said. “There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World.”

Trump first proposed building a monumental arch last year to mark 250 years of US independence, saying it would be akin to other famed arches like the Arc de Triomphe built in Paris after World War Two, but “the biggest one of all”.

On Sunday, the US president did not provide details on the new design, which was previously planned to be a lofty 76-metre-high (250-foot) arch that would tower above many other landmarks in the capital. By law, the height of new construction in the city is generally restricted.

Trump’s arch project has faced criticism ever since then for its size and location, and for potentially obscuring views of the Arlington National Cemetery, the country’s famed resting place for war veterans.

In February, three veterans of the Vietnam War filed a lawsuit against the plan, saying it would block the view between the cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, erected to honour the US president who oversaw the Civil War. The view from the monument, the veterans said in a court filing, was “carefully designed to symbolise the unification of the country after the Civil War and the strength of a united nation”. Any major monument around the capital, the lawsuit also argued, would need approval from the US Congress. A judge ordered the Trump administration to provide notice of any work on the monument, but courts have not ruled on the larger challenge yet.

The Trump-appointed US Commission of Fine Arts, a key agency involved in the project, approved a design in April that featured statues of golden lions at the base of the arch, and golden eagles and a winged angel atop a baroque arch resembling the one in Paris.