Tanks not the way to display U.S. power
One of two Bradley Fighting Vehicles is parked nearby the Lincoln Memorial for President Donald Trump's 'Salute to America' event honoring service branches on Independence Day on Tuesday in Washington. Credit: AP/Andrew Harnik
As a journalist, I've covered global events at a time of military conflict and political upheaval. The image of a young Chinese man confronting a military tank in Tiananmen Square in 1989 is seared in my memory as is the image of Boris Yeltsin on a tank during the Moscow coup attempt in 1991. Military hardware is often associated with conflict.
So why would President Donald Trump want to parade U.S. military equipment during the Fourth of July celebrations in Washington? Why does the nation need Army tanks, a Navy Blue Angel jet demonstration team, which fly F/A-18 Hornets; and the new Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin VH-92 helicopter, among other hardware, on display to prove that we have a mighty military?
The answer is: We don’t, and we shouldn’t.
First, it is expensive. Though the White House won't provide cost estimates for Trump's festivities, photographers have snapped images of two M1A1 Abrams tanks on a freight train in a railyard near Washington, where they were reportedly transported from Fort Stewart in Georgia. That takes labor and money, not to mention the wear and tear on our critical infrastructure.
Second, the military never gets involved in political events. Our armed forces serve America and its ideals, not an agenda of any one party regardless of who is the commander in chief.
Third, symbolism does matter and the symbols of American strength are its flag, its democracy, its baseball and its barbecues. We do not have to broadcast our military strength. We do not have to parade our wares.
Power is best exercised softly and smartly.
Tara D. Sonenshine, a former U.S. undersecretary of state, advises students at The George Washington University.
