President Donald Trump said on Sunday that a planned triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery will be converted into what he described as a military complex, with space for drones, snipers and ammunition storage.
In a Sunday morning post on 20 September 2026, Trump said he had accepted a conversion at the “strong request” of the military. He wrote that the planned 250-foot-tall (76-meter) memorial would become 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 proposal is for a circle next to the Memorial Bridge, across the Potomac River from Washington DC and just outside Arlington National Cemetery. Trump said there would be “no facility like this anywhere in the World” on his Truth Social platform.
The Pentagon said it had no information beyond the president’s statement. The Department of Defence declined to give further details when contacted for comment. Neither body provided independent confirmation that the military had made a formal request for the change, or explained how the proposed operations would work at the site.
The announcement came before the project has received its final approval. The National Capital Area Planning Commission approved the location and preliminary plans at its July meeting, and is expected to consider the matter again this fall. A groundbreaking had been expected sometime this month.
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts has given the scheme early approval. Its members were all appointed by Trump. A group of three veterans and an architectural historian has nevertheless brought a lawsuit arguing that Congress must approve the project.
It remains unclear whether Congress has been formally informed or consulted. The project’s cost and a timetable for the planning commission’s next decision have also not been disclosed.
Under the existing design, a golden, winged Lady Liberty would stand at the top of the arch, with two gold eagles on either side. The words “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” would appear in gold on the structure’s sides.
At 250 feet, the planned arch would be larger than the 99-foot Lincoln Memorial and reach half the height of the Washington Monument. Trump said Washington DC was “the only one in the world that does not have a triumphal arch” among “the 59 top cities and Capitals”.
The arch is one of several projects Trump is pursuing in Washington. They include a White House ballroom, the renaming and renovation of the Kennedy Center, work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the rebuilding of a golf course in East Potomac Park.
Trump has also pursued construction projects during his second term, including a White House ballroom estimated to cost around $400m. He has described that ballroom as a “military complex” and said it is required for national security purposes.
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