Generals will gather in their masses in Virginia next week—but unlike witches at black masses, the reason for the meeting is unclear. The Washington Post, citing "more than a dozen people familiar with the matter," reports that with no explanation and little warning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned hundreds of the nation's top generals and admirals to an urgent meeting at Marine Corps Base Quantico—leaving the military's highest ranks guessing what's behind this unprecedented call to gather.
The urgent order, which covers all commanders with the rank of brigadier general or above and their top enlisted advisers, according to the Post's sources, has set off a wave of confusion and concern within military ranks, especially after a year marked by high-profile firings and drastic cuts. The Pentagon isn't saying much. Chief spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed the meeting to the Post and CBS News but offered no agenda. "The Secretary of War will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week," he said. The military has around 800 generals across the world and the Post's sources say commanders in conflict zones are expected to be at the meeting, raising security concerns.
One source, using an abbreviation for "general officer or flag officer," a term for top brass, told the Post: "You don't call GOFOs leading their people and the global force into an auditorium outside DC and not tell them why/what the topic or agenda is." Another said, "Are we taking every general and flag officer out of the Pacific right now? All of it is weird." CBS notes that a meeting of military officers of this scale at short notice is "rare, if not unprecedented."
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The secrecy comes as Hegseth pushes a significant shake-up at the Pentagon, including a 20% reduction in senior military brass and a recent order to rebrand the Defense Department as the "Department of War." In the past month alone, the heads of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Navy Reserve, and Naval Special Warfare Command were ousted without explanation, adding to a list of senior leaders dismissed under the Trump administration. The timing is also notable: the gathering lands just as a new national defense strategy is expected, one that may put homeland defense ahead of China as the top US security concern.
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