US secretary of war orders urgent meeting of top generals
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has ordered hundreds of US generals and admirals from around the world to gather at a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia next week, in an unprecedented move that has stirred anxiety across the top ranks of the American armed forces.
The Pentagon confirmed the meeting but offered no details. “The secretary of war will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week,” chief spokesman Sean Parnell said on Thursday.
President Donald Trump, who last month rebranded the Defense Department as the Department of War, downplayed concerns, calling the gathering a “friendly” get-together.
“It’s great when generals and top people want to come to the United States to be with a now-called secretary of war,” he told reporters at the White House. “They’re also going to be touring equipment sites, talking about the newest weapons. It’s going to be great.”
Defense officials, however, said they were blindsided. The order has disrupted schedules across the globe, forcing commanders in active theaters to make sudden travel plans. “Whatever it is can be communicated through secure emails, phone calls and video links,” one official told Politico, questioning the need to summon so many senior military leaders to one location.
The large-scale gathering comes amid Hegseth’s sweeping overhaul of the Pentagon’s leadership. Since taking office, he has fired more than a dozen senior officers – including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. and Navy chief Adm. Lisa Franchetti – while ordering a 20% reduction in four-star generals and admirals. He has repeatedly argued that “more generals and admirals does not lead to more success.”
Military officials noted that while the Joint Chiefs and combatant commanders traditionally meet twice a year in Washington, the recall of hundreds of officers – including those commanding conflict zones – is virtually without precedent.
The Pentagon has recently completed two major policy reviews, including a new National Defense Strategy that shifts military priorities from China to homeland security and the Western Hemisphere. Some observers expect Hegseth to use the Quantico gathering to preview the strategy and outline his “less generals, more GIs” policy.
Trump and Hegseth have also tightened information control at the Pentagon. A new memo warned reporters that “unauthorized” disclosures could result in revoked press credentials, while Hegseth told critics: “The press does not run the Pentagon – the people do.”
