The long-awaited National Museum of the United States Army will be opened Nov. 11 by Army leaders. 

The event begins at 2 p.m. Eastern and will be livestreamed here. The celebration is closed to the public because of health and safety concerns.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston are scheduled to participate.

The Veterans Day opening of the museum at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, comes after a five-month delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The museum is the first and only museum to showcase the entire history of the U.S. Army since its establishment in 1775. The 185,000-square-foot building sits on more than 80 acres of publicly accessible land at Fort Belvoir, and more than 700,000 visitors are expected to visit each year.

The museum is a joint effort between the Army, which owns and manages the museum, and the Army Historical Foundation, which led a $200 million privately funded campaign to build the museum.

The Association of the U.S. Army is the single-largest museum donor, contributing $42.5 million to the project. A third of AUSA’s chapters have also donated money.

Tickets are now available for those who would like to visit the museum. Free, timed-entry tickets are required as museum staff work to manage capacity and implement enhanced health and safety measures while providing an optimal experience to visitors.

Tickets are available on the museum website here, and they must be reserved online ahead of time. Walk-up tickets are not available.

“The museum is stunning, and it is an honor to present this history in a way that shows the connection between the American soldier, the U.S. Army and the nation,” said Tammy Call, the museum’s director, in a statement. 

For more information on the museum, click here.