President-elect Donald Trump's transition team reportedly wanted to include tanks and missile launchers during the inaugural parade Friday.
The Huffington Post cited sources saying that Trump's team wanted to have the military featured front and center as Trump took office, plans the military reportedly toned down.
"They were legit thinking Red Square/North Korea-style parade," a source involved in Trump's inaugural parade preparation told The Huffington Post.
A representative for the US Defense Department did not comment on requests for military equipment, The Huffington Post said, referring inquiries to the Trump transition team. The report said Trump adviser Boris Epstein told The Huffington Post that the transition team consulted with the military "to render appropriate honors."
In an interview with The Washington Post, Trump said he wanted the military to have a strong presence at his inauguration ceremony.
"That military may be flying over New York City and Washington, DC, for parades," Trump said. "I mean, we're going to be showing our military."
The armed forces are usually present at inaugurations to help with coordination and to provide music and participate in salute batteries and color guards. Five-thousand service members are expected to participate in the event.
Though Trump's inauguration won't include tanks, it will feature five military flyovers with a total of 20 planes representing each branch of the armed services, The Huffington Post said, citing a Pentagon spokesman.
According to The Huffington Post, a flyover was most recently a part of inauguration festivities for George W. Bush's 2001 opening ceremony. Before that, The Huffington Post said, the most recent time a presidential inauguration featured a military flyover was during President Harry Truman’s inauguration in 1949.
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