Washington: Next week, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ReutersThis is a rare gathering of U.S. military leadership in one place.
It is unclear why Hehseth ordered the general and the admiral to meet in one place in such a short time, and two officials said this created uncertainty among the expected participants.
In some cases, senior military officials commanded thousands of troops. Most people have detailed schedules a few weeks in advance and are now subverted.
“People are scrambling to change plans and see if they have to attend,” an American official said on condition of anonymity.
It is not clear how many officials actually attend the event, but it is rare that so many senior officials have so many senior officials in the same room at the same time.
Asked about comments, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said simply: “The Secretary of War will address its senior military leaders early next week.”
Trump has order The ministry renamed itself to the ministry of war, a change that would require action from Congress.
Parnell’s office did not answer questions about the number of officers, the purpose of the meeting or Hegseth’s call so suddenly. But at the White House, U.S. Vice President JD Vance claimed that such meetings were “not rare at all.”
The United States has troops all over the world, including far away places such as South Korea, Japan and the entire Middle East, commanded by two, three and four-star generals and admirals.
“It may be more mundane than people think… (but) the lack of clarity doesn’t help,” the official said.
Posted at Dawn on September 27, 2025
