US war secretary orders unexplained gathering of commanders

US war secretary Peter Hegseth has ordered hundreds of US generals and admirals from around the world to gather in the US state of Virginia on short notice, with no stated reason for the sudden meeting. 

The Pentagon chief on Tuesday called on all senior officers with the rank of brigadier general—or the Navy equivalent—as well as their top enlisted advisers, in more than a dozen countries and time zones, to get together next week at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, The Washington Post reported.

There are about 800 US generals and admirals stationed in the country and around the world.

More than a dozen people familiar with the order spoke to The Post on the condition of anonymity and called the move unusual, stating that it has caused confusion among US armed forces.

The sources said they can’t recall a similar order for such a large gathering of military leaders and added that the meeting raises security questions.

“People are very concerned,” one of the sources said. “They have no idea what it means.”

“You don’t call GOFOs leading their people and the global force into an auditorium outside D.C. and not tell them why/what the topic or agenda is,” said the source. 

Pentagon restricts media access, threatens journalists over reporting

The Pentagon has demanded journalists pledge not to gather any information that has not been authorized for release.

The Pentagon’s top spokesman, Sean Parnell, confirmed that Hegseth “will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week.”

When questioned about the unusual decision, US President Donald Trump appeared to express unfamiliarity with the matter and sought to normalize the situation, stating, “I’ll be there if they want me, but why is that such a big deal?”

US Vice President JD Vance also tried to downplay the unusual nature of the decision, arguing that the media had turned it into a “big story” and that it was “not particularly unusual that generals” who report to Hegseth are coming to speak with him.

The meeting comes on the heels of several unusual and unexplained actions that Hegseth has taken involving the US military.

Donald Trump, earlier this month, signed an executive order aimed at changing the name of the Department of Defense to the “Department of War,” without an act of Congress, claiming the Defense Department's title was too "defensive."

In May, the US War Secretary directed the active duty military to shed 20% of its four-star general officers in an attempt to move forward with deep cuts that it said would promote efficiency, but critics say will result in a more politicized force.

He also told the National Guard to shed 20% of its top positions and directed the military to cut an additional 10% of its general and flag officers across the force.

In February, Trump removed Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. as Joint Chiefs chairman, targeting leaders seen as supportive of diversity in the ranks. In August, Hegseth dismissed Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse after he reported that Iran’s nuclear program had not been “completely obliterated” by US strikes. The Pentagon chief has offered no explanation for these decisions.

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