US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has called for an emergency meeting of the top Army generals at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, next week.
The move has triggered anxiety across the top ranks of the military brass in the country. Although the Pentagon acknowledged the meeting, it provided no additional explanations. Chief Spokesperson Sean Parnell said on Thursday that “Hegseth will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week.”
President Donald Trump, who last month renamed the Pentagon 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 US to be with a now-called Secretary of War,” he said. “They are going to be visiting the equipment sites, talking about the latest weapons. It’s going to be a great visit,” he added.
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The defence officials have been caught off guard with this sudden schedule change; field commanders are now supposed to make the 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 top brass to one location.
The sudden gathering has raised eyebrows across the global nations, especially China, Russia and the Middle Eastern region due to ongoing conflicts. The meeting, as per sources, is aimed at overhauling the US defence. Pete Hegseth has already fired several officials, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr and Navy Chief Adm. Lisa Franchetti – while ordering a 20 per cent reduction in four-star generals and admirals. He has repeatedly argued that “more generals and admirals do not lead to more success.”
Trump and Hegseth have also tightened information control at the Pentagon. A new memo warned reporters that “unauthorised” disclosures could result in revoked press credentials, while Hegseth told critics, “The press does not run the Pentagon – the people do.”
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