The Army’s 250th anniversary parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, June 14, will feature about two dozen M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks in what will be a test of the city’s street system.
The tanks weigh about twice the maximum load limit allowed on D.C. streets. The Army has been negotiating with D.C. about using the tanks in the parade. The Washington Post reported that a permit to allow the tanks on D.C. streets had not yet been issued.
NBC reported that Army officers estimated potential damage to D.C. streets could run as high as $16 million. The Army plans to use metal plates to shore up the streets, especially at turns along the parade route where the potential for street surface damage is highest.
The tanks are also being set up with rubberized track pads to lessen the impact of the lumbering behemoths ripping up the streets. The M1A1 has been in service with the military since 1986. Production stopped in 1992, but many of the tanks are still attached to active duty units. Most of the better than 4,000 Abrams used by Army units have been updated or refurbished. The original service life expectation for the tanks had originally been 2021.
The parade in D.C. culminates a week-long observance of the Army’s 250th anniversary around the Capitol. Then a year’s worth of commemorative events around the country kicks off.
President Donald Trump, along with family members and guests, is expected to view the parade from a reviewing stand not far from the White House.
The day is also one the president knows well. June 14 is Trump’s 79th birthday.
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