The US military's top officer said that planning is under way after President Donald Trump ordered a large-scale military parade to showcase American muscle and underscore his role as commander-in-chief.
"I am aware of the president's request and we are in the initial planning stages to meet the president's direction," General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters during a visit to the Thai capital Bangkok.
Gen Dunford is the first top US military official to publicly address Mr Trump's longstanding wish for a large-scale military parade, which the White House confirmed yesterday.
The general did not address a question on whether it would be a good use of military resources.
Mr Trump has toyed with the idea of a parade in Washington since before being sworn in.
The US normally reserves its military parades to mark the end of conflicts, such as in 1991 when President George HW Bush held a National Victory Parade in Washington to celebrate the end of the Gulf War.
Mr Trump's request may well be popular among many Americans but has drawn scorn from critics, who said it would be a waste of money and was akin to events organised by authoritarian regimes.
"What an absurd waste of money! Trump acts more like dictator than president. Americans deserve better," Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern said.
However, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said: "President Trump is incredibly supportive of America's great service members who risk their lives every day to keep our country safe.
"He has asked the Department of Defense to explore a celebration at which all Americans can show their appreciation."
When Mr Trump visited Paris in July last year for Bastille Day, he made no secret of his awe for the pomp and ceremony of the occasion.
Sitting on the Champs-Elysees, he marvelled at the Republican Guard on horseback and jets flying overhead, which greeted President Emmanuel Macron, as he arrived in an open-topped camouflaged military jeep.
Months earlier, aides confided that Mr Trump had considered a military parade to mark his inauguration, but the idea was eventually scrapped.
The White House has also confirmed that Mr Macron will travel to the US in April for the first state visit announced by the Trump administration.
Gen Dunford's visit to junta-ruled Thailand is part of a week-long tour of the US military's enormous Pacific Command area.
After a hiatus following the 2014 coup, relations between Washington and Bangkok have resumed and Gen Dunford said he looked forward to a continuing military-to-military relationship.
"They (Thailand) have been a good, strong partner for a long time. Our overall strength globally, but in particular in the Pacific, is our network of allies and partners. And so Thailand is an important part of that overall network," he told reporters travelling with him.
The praise was offered despite the junta's recent postponement of a November 2018 election date which the junta chief announced after a White House visit in October.
The US has consistently urged the generals to follow through on a promised return to democracy.
But they have repeatedly let the poll timeline slip and maintained a tight lid on dissent, with bans on politics and protests of any kind.
