The U.S. Army’s arsenal was on full display at Fort Bragg on Tuesday as the military branch kicked off its 250th birthday celebration. Aircraft and artillery weapons decorated Pike Field. A livestream of demonstration operations, including a jump by the 82nd Airborne, played on a trio of stadium big screens.
President Donald Trump, headliner of the celebration, called the shows of strength “beautiful.”
“We only have a country because we first had an Army,” he said at a podium surrounded by six grand stands of soldiers holding American flag posters. “After 250 years, we still proudly declare that we are free because you are brave. America’s flag will never fall because America’s Army will never, ever fail.”
Throughout his hour-long speech, Trump said his administration is working to strengthen the Army and the other military branches. He touted how the Army surpassed its most recent recruitment goal more than a month ahead of schedule, and attributed it to the changes being made by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
The changes focus on removing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from the military, which Hegseth spoke about ahead of Trump and at the conclusion of All American week last month. Policies include the mandatory separation of transgender service members from all branches, including the Army, and establishing “sex-neutral” fitness requirements for Army combatants.
“No one signed up for the Army to be lectured about transgender and inclusion,” Trump said.
Trump also spoke about the $1.01 trillion budget for the Department of Defense included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The budget includes $150 billion in spending on new military programs like the Golden Dome, Trump’s missile defense project fashioned off Israel’s Iron Dome.
The bill passed the House on May 22 and is being negotiated in the Senate. Trump on Tuesday told Army generals to push senators to support the bill, including Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd of North Carolina, who flew on Air Force One with the president to Fort Bragg.
“We better get that bill approved or else your helicopters are gonna start looking a little old,” Trump said.
During his speech, Trump bashed former President Joe Biden for changing the name of Fort Bragg following the passage of a federal law that revoked the names of Confederate leaders from military bases, and promised to return the names of a handful of other installations.
Trump also spoke about the efforts to deter border crossings by deploying active-duty troops, including Army soldiers and Marines, to the U.S.-Mexico border. And he addressed the ongoing protests against his administration’s immigration policies in Los Angeles.
On Tuesday, protestors in LA were in their fifth day of protests sparked by raids at a local Home Depot and clothing factory. Although California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the situation did not require federal assistance, Trump called in the National Guard, deploying 2,000 troops to the city. Newsom said the move has escalated tensions, posting to X: “Donald Trump has manufactured a crisis and is inflaming conditions.”
In addition to the National Guard, 700 Marines were deployed to the city.
“Very simply, we will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean and safe again,” Trump said on Tuesday.
Trump returned his attention to the Army to end the speech, promising funding to improve on-post housing conditions and pay increases for service members. Service members already received 4.5% pay increases this year, and the most junior enlisted personnel received an additional 10% increase.
“I am more confident than ever that in the days ahead and every generation to come, the U.S. Army will heap glory upon glory upon glory upon us all,” Trump said.
Fort Bragg’s celebration and Trump’s visit to post come days before a military parade is set to take place in Washington, D.C., on June 14. The parade is expected to cost $45 million and involve thousands of troops and more than 100 military vehicles, according to NBC Washington.
For soldiers on Fort Bragg, getting to play a part in celebrating the Army’s 250th year meant a lot. Different brigades manned booths showing off aircraft like Blackhawk helicopters and artillery weapons like Howitzers. Soldiers educated their fellow soldiers and civilians about the equipment and their brigade’s specialties.
“This is a once in a lifetime and career, being able to participate in this,” said Chief Warrant Officer Jeremy Hazard of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade. He and the soldiers under him were charged with delivering and educating event attendees about a Blackhawk stationed on Pike Field for the day. “I’ve been in 19 years and this is a first for me, so hopefully the younger enlisted members will remember this too.”
CityView Reporter Morgan Casey is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Morgan’s reporting focuses on health care issues in and around Cumberland County and can be supported through the News Foundation of Greater Fayetteville.