Trump recasts 250-foot arch near Arlington as military complex

President Donald Trump said on Sunday, Sept. 20, that his proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery would be converted into a military complex housing drones, snipers and sniper ammunition, a change he said the U.S. military had requested for national security reasons. He announced it in a post on Truth Social. Trump did not name the officials or service branches he said had asked for it.

At the strong request of the United States Military, and for National Security purposes, I have agreed to convert the magnificent Triumphal Arch... into a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch.

A Pentagon spokesperson told NBC News the department had "nothing additional to provide beyond the post," and the White House declined to provide additional information. A Pentagon official referred Newsweek to the same post and offered no further comment. MS NOW said the Department of Defense did not immediately respond to its request for comment on whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or other military officials had asked for the change.

What the post says the arch would hold

Trump wrote that the structure would "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." He said there would be no facility like it anywhere in the world, and added that out of the 59 top cities and capitals, Washington is the only one without a triumphal arch.

The arch is proposed for Memorial Circle, a roundabout on Columbia Island between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, just under two miles northwest of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, according to FOX 5 DC. Memorial Circle sits within Lady Bird Johnson Park, built up from dredged river fill between 1911 and 1930 and renamed in 1968 for First Lady Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson, Newsweek reported.

At 250 feet, the arch would stand more than twice as tall as the 99-foot Lincoln Memorial. The arch itself is about 165 feet tall and about as wide; a pedestal, a winged Lady Liberty figure and two gilded eagles make up the rest. Public planning documents describe a roughly 250-foot granite-clad structure with an associated plaza and landscaping work, utilities, traffic modifications, lighting and security features.

Trump announced the arch in October 2025 at a dinner with donors to the White House ballroom construction, MS NOW reported. The Washington Post reported that month that he wanted a structure comparable with the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence.

Democrats question drones near the flight path

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., whose district includes Arlington National Cemetery and is adjacent to the proposed site, criticized the plan in a post on X. His district also takes in Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Beyer's objection centered on launching drones from a spot he said sits in the landing path for the airport. The Federal Aviation Administration cleared the arch on air safety grounds on Sept. 18, saying the structure would not pose a hazard to aircraft, according to NBC News. That review covered the monument as previously designed, before Trump described drone operations and sniper positions at the site.

Putting a drone launching site directly in the landing path for DCA is a stupid, dangerous, and unworkable idea.

Beyer also wrote that Trump expects to lose a lawsuit over the project and wants to set up a pretext to argue that the arch is tied to national security, an argument the congressman called idiotic, according to MS NOW.

A group of Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian sued to block the arch, alleging it would desecrate the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery and arguing that the president lacks the authority to build it without approval from Congress, NPR reported. The suit, filed in February in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, says the project violates the Commemorative Works Act. It remains pending.

The National Park Service received more than 100,000 comments during historic-preservation review periods in June and July, with commenters raising concerns about the arch's scale, its construction and its effect on the sightline linking the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Memorial Bridge, Arlington National Cemetery and Arlington House, Newsweek reported. In a recent planning document, the agency wrote that it "recognizes that Memorial Circle is located within a highly sensitive historic and commemorative landscape, and that the Undertaking's location contributes to adverse effects to historic properties," and said it had consulted on measures to minimize and mitigate adverse effects on historic properties.

Judge requires notice before work begins

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered the administration to give the court 48 hours' notice before starting any activity at the site, other than work to determine whether archaeological resources are present. The order warned that any construction or demolition before the Park Service issues final authorization would violate it. It came a day after Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on Sept. 3 that excavation would begin over the next two-week period, with federal reviews still unfinished.

Several federal reviews have already gone the project's way. The Commission of Fine Arts, an independent agency, approved the concept on April 16 and the final design on May 21, after Trump fired its sitting members in October 2025 and appointed his own in January. In July, the National Capital Planning Commission, led by Trump appointees, approved preliminary site and building plans. The Park Service issued a finding that the project as previously described would have "no significant environmental impact," while saying that finding did not amount to a final decision or approval.

• Commission of Fine Arts approved the design in May, after Trump replaced its members.
• National Capital Planning Commission gave preliminary approval in July.
• FAA determined the arch would not pose a hazard to aircraft.
• National Park Service final decision still pending, with November the administration's target.
• Veterans' lawsuit pending in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

It is unclear how Sunday's announcement affects those approvals, which covered a monument with no weapons or drone operations, NBC News reported. The Washington Post reported that the administration is hoping for the Park Service's final decision in November.

FAA requires an eternal flame on top

The FAA released the results of a hazard study on Friday, Sept. 18, finding that the 250-foot arch would pose no threat to nearby aircraft, but attached conditions to the design, FOX 5 DC reported. The agency is requiring an "eternal flame" at the highest point of the structure to make it more visible to pilots, along with continuous floodlights around the base. The findings can be petitioned until Oct. 18 and become final on Oct. 28 unless a petition is filed, in which case they would not be finalized until it is resolved.

A second project cast as security

Trump's post did not identify the officials or service branches he said requested the change, and offered no evidence of a formal military request, Newsweek reported. He cited national security without pointing to any specific threat.

Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., a combat veteran, rejected that account during an appearance on MS NOW's "The Weekend" on Sunday, dismissing the plan as an idea attributable to a "completely deranged old man." He said he believed veterans and Gold Star families who oppose the arch would prevail, because it would block the view of their buried sons and daughters in Arlington.

Certainly, the military is not requesting this.

The arch is the second Washington construction project Trump has framed as a national security matter, according to NBC News. He told reporters aboard Air Force One in March that "the military is building a massive complex under the ballroom," and in early April the White House told a federal appeals court that the project, including the ballroom, was "necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House and its grounds." The Supreme Court ruled at the end of August that ballroom construction could proceed indefinitely, finding that the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued, likely lacked standing.

Design questions left unanswered

The administration has not released renderings of the militarized version of the arch, and it is unclear how the announcement will affect construction that had been expected to begin this month, MS NOW reported. The published project description does not mention drones, sniper positions or ammunition storage, leaving open whether the design and its federal reviews would have to be revised, according to Newsweek.

Earlier descriptions of the structure included galleries and an open-air observation deck. The change raises questions about security, public access, approvals and the storage of weapons beside one of the country's most sensitive ceremonial sites.

Washington-area construction has been a priority of Trump's second term, NBC News reported. Beyond the ballroom and the arch, he moved to renovate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, added a helipad at the White House and pushed to fix fountains in the capital. After the pool renovation, chunks of its new coating floated to the surface and the water turned green with algae. Trump repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that vandalism led to the damage.

Excavation had been expected within weeks before Sunday's post. The veterans' lawsuit is still pending, the Park Service has not issued a final decision, and the FAA determination remains open to challenge until Oct. 18.