Inside Trump’s plan to transform triumphal arch into military complex

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump reportedly said he had agreed to a request by the military to convert a planned triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery in Washington into a military complex capable of dispatching drones and allocating sharpshooter ammunition.

The president cited national security considerations for the move without referencing explicit threats. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the 250-foot arch would not cause an aviation hazard to aircraft but would be required to have an eternal flame on top clearing a key airspace authorization for the monument which Trump proposed to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary.

In addition, aviation experts have raised concerns over safety hazards because of its adjacency to Reagan Washington National Airport while veterans have sued to block the arch contending it would block the historic view between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

The project is part of the president's extensive campaign to reinvent Washington's vast landscape including a new White House ballroom, the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Poll and the redevelopment of a golf course in East Potomac Park.