How to Read a Military Parade

Authoritarian regimes use them to intimidate. Democracies use them to commemorate. Military parades are both grand spectacle and potent message.

In a few days, the streets of Washington will host one of their own. The occasion, at least officially, is the 250th anniversary of the United States Army. It also just so happens to be President Trump’s 79th birthday.

The motives of countries that stage such parades may vary, but the events all tend to share a common visual vocabulary.

Here is what to look for.

Iconic settings

From Tiananmen Square to the Arc de Triomphe, many military parades take place against the backdrop of a country’s most recognizable landmarks, often symbols of national identity and history. That heightens the visual and emotional impact.

It can also signal that military power is deeply intertwined with the fabric of the nation and reinforce a sense of unity among its people.

“There is definitely a deep meaning to these locations: They are to evoke and symbolize military triumphs and national sovereignty preserved in wars and paid for with enormous sacrifices,” said Leon Aron, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank.

The parade in Washington on June 14 will begin at the Pentagon and make its way toward the National Mall, passing Mr. Trump’s viewing stand on Constitution Avenue, according to Army officials.

Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a Democrat who was once chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said in May that if Mr. Trump were not in power, the celebrations for the Army’s anniversary would most likely have been much more modest and taken place at Fort Myer in Arlington, Va.

“But this is Trump,” he said.

Strategic seating charts

Military parades also offer a perfect photo op for leaders who want to show the world who their allies are.

In Russia, President Vladimir V. Putin has long invited foreign leaders to attend the annual Victory Day Parade in Moscow. But after Russia invaded Ukraine and the West moved to isolate it, Mr. Putin’s guests of honor took on outsize significance.

“When the regime is fully confident of its legitimacy, the loyalty of the people and their armed forces… you don’t need this sort of display,” said Dr. Aron, “The more you need to display it, I think, the more you show that there is an issue of legitimacy.”

Mr. Putin is hardly alone in inviting foreign leaders to his parades. The goal, in part, is to project grandeur.

“That’s why the N.F.L. likes celebrities at the Super Bowl,” said Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Project at Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

French leaders have made an art of it. From Emmanuel Macron to Nicolas Sarkozy, they frequently invite prominent foreign leaders to their military parades — especially the ones they wish to court.

During Mr. Trump’s first term, President Emmanuel Macron invited him to the Bastille Day parade in 2017, hoping to maintain dialogue after the American leader pulled the United States out of the Paris climate agreement.

Mr. Trump returned home feeling good about the French — “He’s a great guy,” he said of Mr. Macron — and about military parades. So good that he wanted one of his own, he said.

That time, the Pentagon was able to dissuade him. This year is another story.

Displays of might

Military parades are, first and foremost, a show of power, and no one may understand that better than North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un.

The parades there are a rare window into a famously closed-off country, and an opportunity for the regime to show its most advanced weapons to adversaries. For years, Mr. Kim has used them to let the world know how far his nuclear program has advanced.

Some experts believe that North Korea has paraded trucks with empty missile silos or nonfunctional equipment. But in the world of propaganda, that does not really matter.

“These parades often parade fiction more than fact,” said John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute. “You can have obsolete tanks, undertrained soldiers and failing logistics, but the image is what matters. In fear societies, perception is power.”

While Mr. Kim often likes to showcase his latest military advancements, China makes an impression through sheer volume.

Its 2019 National Day parade stretched for miles down the avenue in front of Tiananmen Square. It featured more than 500 pieces of military equipment, including tanks, ICBMs and hypersonic drones.

It is an unmistakable message, intended in part for Taiwan, which Beijing has designs on, and its backer, the United States, said Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “That is meant to be flashing red lights to the rest of the world, including their adversaries, about China’s capabilities,” Mr. Kennedy said.

Intimidating choreography

Formations of soldiers marching in perfect sync are a hallmark of every military parade.

The message is not subtle: These are disciplined troops, well-trained and ready to defend their homeland. For citizens at home, it stirs up pride; for potential adversaries abroad, it may give pause.

Some countries incorporate acrobatic performances by soldiers, showcasing specialized skills.

Many countries take to the skies for their parades, wowing crowds with tightly coordinated aircraft flyovers.

Given the striking spectacle of aerial displays, it is not surprising that the Pentagon has arranged for some 50 helicopters to take part in the parade in Washington.

Faces of power

Sometimes, it is not just a country projecting strength at a parade.

At some military parades — especially those staged by authoritarian regimes — a political leader is front and center. Parade participants carry posters, floats and banners with the leader’s image. These are visual symbols of loyalty intended to glorify the leader and suggest that the nation’s strength is inseparable from the leader’s personal authority.

Unlike some authoritarian leaders, Mr. Putin does not have his face appear on banners or posters during military parades. He opts for a more subtle display of loyalty: the orange-and-black ribbon.

Known as the St. George ribbon, it has long been used to honor war veterans, but more recently has become a symbol of support for Mr Putin’s foreign policy — his war in Ukraine.

Western democracies generally avoid the glorification of their leaders. The absence of their images at parades signify the separation of military and political power.

It remains to be seen how the parade will unfold in Washington, but Mr. Kennedy of the Center for Strategic and International Studies believes that Mr. Trump may be seeking a personal boost.

“It’s possible that he hopes that in some ways people’s respect for the military and its capabilities rubs off on him,” Mr. Kennedy said.