U.S.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday (September 20, 2026) the triumphal arch he plans to build near Arlington National Cemetery in Washington would double as a “military complex” housing drones and snipers, as well as storing large quantities of ammunition.
Interior Department announced plans to move forward soon with work on the arch despite legal challenges and the lack of final approval from a government planning authority. He did not identify any specific threats. In a social media post, Mr. U.S. Her ruling came a day after the U.S.
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 House’s former East Wing. District Judge Tanya Chutkan earlier this month ordered the Trump administration to give 48 hours’ notice before engaging in any activity on the site of the triumphal arch.
Trump said that at the “strong request” of the military he had agreed to turn the 76-metre arch “into a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch, 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. The Federal Aviation Administration said last week that the arch would not pose a hazard to aircraft but would be required to have an “eternal flame” on top, clearing an aviation hurdle for the arch, which Trump proposed to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel, said the move appeared aimed at countering opposition to the arch, which 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.
Cancian also said that storing ammunition at the arch would create logistical challenges and questioned the value of positioning snipers there.
