By: Tara Copp / Military Times.
Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment and service members from around the Department of Defense participate in the 58th Presidential Inauguration and parade January 20, 2017. (Army)
As the Pentagon continues to work on parade options to present to President Donald Trump, an overwhelming number of Military Times readers have weighed in: Don’t have one.
The informal poll was launched Wednesday after news reports that Trump had requested a military parade and that the Pentagon was working on parade options for him.
As of Thursday afternoon, more than 51,000 readers had responded. The majority, 89 percent, responded “No, It’s a waste of money and troops are too busy.”
The other 11 percent responded “Yes, it’s a great opportunity to show off U.S. military might.”
On Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Dana White said any parade plans were in the very beginning stages, and that the Pentagon had tapped the Army to lead the effort.
“We are looking at several different options right now,” White said. “The Army is the executive agent. But we don’t have those options yet. Its still in nascent stages and when we have those options we’ll provide that to the White House and the president will decide.”