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Trump proposes parades to display US military power

Thursday, 19 January 2017 4:15 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 19 January 2017 5:42 PM ]

US President-elect Donald Trump (L) gestures as he speaks with his National Security Adviser Lt. General Michael Flynn in Palm Beach, Florida, December 21, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

US President-elect Donald Trump says he plans to cheer up the American people by showing off the country’s military might in nationwide parades.

Speaking to the Washington Post in an interview published on Wednesday, Trump said a great president should be a “great cheerleader” first.

“Being a great president has to do with a lot of things, but one of them is being a great cheerleader for the country,” Trump said. “And we’re going to show the people as we build up our military, we’re going to display our military.”

“That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. That military may be flying over New York City and Washington, D.C., for parades. I mean, we’re going to be showing our military,” he added.

The celebrity billionaire, who in November defeated former secretary of state Hillary Clinton against all odds to become the 45th US president, has pledged to begin expanding the US military after his January 20 inauguration.

Trump says dramatic cuts in military spending have reduced the number of troops to dangerously low levels. He also believes that more investment is necessary to build more ships and aircraft.

According to the MilitaryTimes, the Republican president-elect plans to increase the Army’s active duty soldiers by 60,000, while employing an unspecified number of sailors to man at least 78 ships and submarines that he plans to add to the Navy.

He also plans to add 12,000 Marines to infantry and tank battalions and at least 100 combat aircraft for the Air Force.

The 2017 US military budget bill passed last month requires the Army to keep its troops above 476,000 next year. The figure was set at 321,000 troops for the Air Force and 185,000 for the Marines Corps. The $619 billion budget was passed by Congress in December.

According to a report by the Heritage Foundation in November, the US military has become “weaker” and reliant on military contractors and requires more spending to reverse that trend.

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