'Unprecedented' summons: US Secretary of War calls for emergency meeting of top generals

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has ordered hundreds of senior US military generals and admirals serving around the world to return to the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, next week. This move has been described as unprecedented and has caused concern among US military leaders.

The chief spokesman for the War Department, Sean Parnell, confirmed the meeting but did not provide details: "The Secretary of War will address his senior military leaders early next week."

President Donald Trump, who recently signed an executive order renaming the Department of Defense to the "Department of War," has reassured the public by calling the meeting a "friendly" gathering.

"It's great that the generals and the top people want to come to the United States to meet with a Secretary of War like now. They'll also tour the equipment sites, talk about the latest weapons. That will be great," President Trump said at the White House.

In contrast to President Trump’s reassurances, defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said they were caught completely off guard by the order, which has disrupted schedules around the globe, forcing commanders in war zones to scramble their travel plans.

Anything that needed to be communicated could be done via secure email, phone and video link, one official said, questioning the need to summon hundreds of senior officers to the same location.

Military officials also noted that while the Joint Chiefs of Staff and combatant commanders typically meet twice a year in Washington, recalling hundreds of officers, including those commanding conflict zones, is virtually unprecedented.

This large-scale gathering took place as Secretary Hegseth was undertaking a sweeping overhaul of the leadership at the War Ministry.

Since taking office, Mr. Hegseth has fired more than a dozen senior officers—including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., and Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti. He has also ordered a 20% reduction in the number of four-star generals and admirals. Mr. Hegseth has repeatedly argued that “more generals and admirals do not equal more success.”

Some observers predict Secretary Hegseth will use the Quantico meeting to introduce his new defense strategy, which shifts military priorities from China to homeland security and the Western Hemisphere, and outline his “fewer generals, more soldiers” policy.

During this same period, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth tightened controls on information at the War Department. A new memo warned reporters that “unauthorized” disclosures could result in having their press credentials revoked. Secretary Hegseth told critics: “The press doesn’t run the Pentagon—the people do.”