After reports emerged that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called an emergency meeting of top US military generals next week, the White House rushed to rein in speculation over the upcoming event. US President Donald Trump and Vice President J D Vance downplayed the event, stating there was “nothing particularly unusual” about it.
Trump said the military generals would be “touring equipment sites” and “talking about the newest weapons.” “I think it’s great when generals and top people want to come to the United States to be with our new Secretary of War,” Trump said.
However, Vance told reporters that it was odd that it was made into a big story. “It’s not particularly unusual that generals who report to the Secretary of War and then to the president of the United States are coming to speak with the Secretary of War. It’s actually not unusual at all, and I think it’s odd that you’ve made it into such a big story,” he said.
Despite their clarifications, mystery still surrounds the meeting called by Hegseth. According to a Washington Post report, Hegseth has ordered hundreds of the U.S. military’s generals and admirals to gather on short notice at a Marine Corps base in Virginia next week. This includes all senior officers with the rank of brigadier general or above, their Navy equivalent, and their top enlisted advisers — more than 800 generals or admirals. Top commanders in conflict zones and senior military leaders stationed throughout Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region are among those expected to attend Hegseth’s meeting.
He didn’t give a stated reason for the meetup.
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The order was sent to all of the military’s top commanders worldwide, sending them into a state of distress. The report added that the call has stoked fears that Hegseth could remove the Defense Department’s status as a nonpartisan institution.
The meeting call was unprecedented, an unnamed source told The Washington Post, adding that “people are very concerned”. “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,” the source said.