U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday (September 20, 2026) the triumphal arch โhe plans to build near Arlington National Cemetery in Washington would double as a โmilitary complexโ โ housing drones and snipers, as well as storing large quantities of ammunition.
The president cited national security concerns for the move, echoing the rationale offered for the roughly $400 million ballroom complex being built on the site of the White โHouseโs former East Wing. He did not identify any specific threats.
The projects are part of Mr. Trumpโs ambitious effort to reshape Washington, including a push to add his name โto the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts. The plans have drawn criticism from โpreservationists โ and others who argue they could alter or diminish historic landmarks.
In a social media โ post, Mr. Trump said that at the โstrong requestโ of the military he had agreed to turn the 76-metre arch โinto a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch, to house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on โboth the roof and plaza areas, and โadditionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage.โ
A U.S. military official told Reuters that the Defence Department had nothing to add beyond Mr. Trumpโs social media post. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Trump did not elaborate on why such capabilities โwould be needed at the arch. His proposed White House ballroom has already been touted as โa drone facility to protect Washington.
Expert questions military rationale
Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel, said the move appeared aimed at countering opposition to the arch, which โ is planned for a traffic circle near Arlington National Cemetery, about a mile from Fort Myer, an active Army installation, and roughly 3.2 km from the Pentagon.
โIt looks like itโs tacked on in order โto strengthen the rationale for construction,โ Cancian, a senior adviser with the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, told Reuters. โThere is this military facility (Fort Myer) long established with a variety of military capabilities one mile away. So why you need this one isnโt clear.โ
Cancian also said that storing ammunition at the arch would create logistical challenges and questioned the value of positioning snipers there.
Legal challenges mount
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan earlier this month ordered the Trump administration โto give 48 hoursโ notice before engaging in any activity on the site of the triumphal arch. Her ruling came โa day after the U.S. Interior Department announced plans to move forward soon with work on the arch despite legal challenges and the lack of final approval from โ a government planning authority.
The Federal Aviation Administration said last week that the arch would not pose a hazard โ to aircraft but would be required to have an โeternal flameโ on top, clearing an aviation hurdle for the arch, which Trump proposed to mark the nationโs 250th anniversary.
Aviation experts have raised โsafety concerns given its proximity to Reagan Washington National Airport while veterans have sued to block the arch, arguing it would destroy the historic sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.