US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis testifies to the House Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, February 6, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/Files

WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Thursday he believed President Donald Trump wanted Washington DC to be the setting for a parade to honour the US military but left open the possibility that it could be staged elsewhere.

?As I understand it, he wants the parade in Washington DC ? but that?s a good question,? Mattis told Pentagon reporters when asked whether the military was developing options on different locations for the parade.

Asked later whether he had consulted the DC government, he said the government still needed to ?figure out where it?s going to be?.