U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned senior military leaders from around the world to a rare gathering at Quantico, Virginia, next week. Five officials told Reuters that this short-notice meeting has raised eyebrows across the ranks.
With top generals and admirals commanding thousands of troops and juggling packed calendars, the sudden order has left many scrambling to adjust. "People are scrambling to change their plans and see if they have to attend," one official said on condition of anonymity.
Details on the number of attendees, the agenda and the urgency remain tightly guarded. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell offered only that, "The Secretary of War will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week."
At the White House, Vice President JD Vance downplayed the surprise, calling the meeting "not unusual at all." Yet the scale of the gathering, spanning commands from South Korea and Japan to the Middle East, is unprecedented.
Hegseth, a former media host, has already shaken up the Pentagon, dismissing top generals and admirals to align the department with former President Trump's national security priorities and rolling back diversity programs he viewed as discriminatory.
Earlier this year, he removed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and five other senior officers. In May, he ordered a 20% cut in four-star ranks and further trims across general and flag officers. "More generals and admirals do not lead to more success," he stated in the memo.
As hundreds of officers prepare to convene, the lack of clarity is fueling speculation about whether this is a strategic briefing, a shake-up follow-up or something else entirely. For a global audience, the event underscores how swift leadership moves in Washington can ripple through military posts worldwide.
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Hegseth orders hundreds of U.S. military officials for a meeting
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