US defence secretary summons military leaders to Virginia mystery meeting

The crushed for the meeting, acceptable for adjacent Tuesday, remains unclear, with Trump dismissing concerns arsenic not ‘a large deal’.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned elder United States subject officers from their posts astir the satellite to a gathering adjacent week successful Virginia, for what is expected to beryllium a uncommon gathering.

The summons was reported successful US media connected Thursday and confirmed aboriginal successful the time by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.

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It was not instantly wide wherefore Hegseth ordered the generals and admirals to conscionable successful Virginia connected specified abbreviated announcement oregon what the meeting’s docket volition look like.

There are astir 800 generals and admirals successful the US military, and specified elder officials can, successful immoderate cases, bid thousands of troops, including successful delicate locations overseas.

Most person elaborate schedules that are acceptable weeks successful advance. One subject official, who spoke connected information of anonymity, told the quality bureau Reuters that those schedules person present been upended.

“People are scrambling to alteration their plans and spot if they person to attend,” the authoritative said.

For his part, Parnell declined to connection specifics astir the meeting, telling reporters, “The Secretary of War volition beryllium addressing his elder subject leaders aboriginal adjacent week.”

At an Oval Office signing ceremonial connected Thursday, Trump expressed optimism astir Hegseth’s meeting, describing it arsenic a bully idea.

“I emotion it. I deliberation it’s great,” Trump said. “Let him beryllium affable with the generals and admirals from each implicit the world.”

He besides appeared to downplay concerns that the lawsuit could instrumentality subject leaders distant from posts captious for nationalist security. He expressed astonishment that the meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, had gained nationalist attention.

“Why is that specified a large deal?” Trump asked a reporter. “The information that we’re getting on with the generals and admirals? Remember, I’m the president of peace. It’s bully to get along. It’s good. You enactment similar this is simply a atrocious thing.”

Vice President JD Vance, who was astatine the Oval Office meeting, besides sought to brushwood speech the anticipated criticism.

“It’s not peculiarly antithetic that generals who study to the caput of warfare and past to the president of the United States are coming to talk with the caput of war,” Vance said, adding it was “odd” that reporters were asking astir it.

Since Trump took bureau for a 2nd word successful January, helium and Hegseth person taken connected a run of reimagining the Department of Defense.

They have, for instance, fired apical subject leaders, including CQ Brown, a erstwhile Air Force wide who was serving arsenic the seat of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In May, helium ordered a 20-percent simplification successful the fig of four-star officers, adding that determination would beryllium an further 10-percent simplification among wide and emblem officers crossed the military.

Hegseth has besides called for the subject to extremity its diverseness initiatives, and respective officials person been terminated for their alleged roles successful specified programmes.

Instead, Hegseth has called connected the subject to summation its “lethality” and “restore” its “warrior ethos”.

Earlier this month, Trump signed an bid making it his argumentation to notation to the Defense Department arsenic the Department of War, arsenic it had been until 1949.

But the sanction alteration volition stay largely confined to the enforcement branch. A imperishable alteration would necessitate Congress to walk authorities adopting the caller name.