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What is Pete Hegseth up to?
The US Defence Secretary has summoned America’s generals to a meeting next week.
Hundreds of generals from all over the world will head to the United States for the summit. Rumours about why the meeting is being called have sent speculation in official circles into overdrive.
The development comes in the backdrop of the United States government facing a shutdown.
The Trump administration, which controls all three branches of government, has refused to compromise with Democrats and vowed mass firings of officials if the shutdown takes effect.
But what do we know? And what is the administration saying?
Let’s take a closer look
What we know
The meeting will be held on Thursday.
It will take place at the Marine Corps Installations National Capital Region-Marine Corps Base Quantico. For the unversed, Quantico is famed for being a major FBI facility as well as home to its national academy.
It has appeared in a number of films and TV shows including the classic Silence of the Lambs and the ABC TV show Quantico starring Priyanka Chopra. The meeting will be held at the Marine Corps base which calls itself the ‘Crossroads of the Marine Corps’.
It also hosts the US Marine Corps’ Combat Development Command, which comes up with strategy for US marines in combat. It says it comes up with “vital concepts, training and equipment of the future" and the birthplace “of the most important techniques in warfighting.” The base previously hosted the Marine Corps Brig – a prison that shuttered in 2011.
“All general officers in command in grade O-7 through O-10 and their general officer senior enlisted advisers are directed to attend within operational constraints,” the order, referring to generals and admirals, states.
There are about 800 general-level officers in the armed forces, including 44 at the most senior, four-star level.
The United States has hundreds of generals and admirals stationed at bases across the world including Japan, South Korea, Germany and West Asia. All officers of the rank of brigadier general or above and their navy equivalent have been summoned. Each of these officers is in charge of hundreds, if not thousands, of troops– mostly the rank-and-file.
Officers from Europe, West Asia and the Asia-Pacific region are set to attend the meeting. Top military officers with staff positions have been excluded. In all, over 1,000 people could attend the meeting. It remains unclear where they will all be housed or transported to the meet.
News of the summit, a rare gathering of all the top military officials, was greeted with bewilderment in some quarters and alarm in others.
Top four-star combatant commanders and chiefs of armed services typically meet at least twice a year in Washington but not this way.
"People are scrambling to change their plans and see if they have to attend," one US official said.There are rumours that there will be mass firings. The Trump administration did away with several top military brass earlier this year.
There is also speculation that some sort of test will be administered. Trump has often referred to senior military brass as ‘my generals’. Loyalty oaths have also become a recurring theme in his second administration with job seekers needing to pass tests to determine if they are sufficiently devoted to Trump and the MAGA movement.
Some are worried that the military’s status as a non-partisan player in US politics could be affected. Prior to Trump’s election, then Army General Mark Milley, the most senior military official in the US, had said the military has ‘no role’ in US politics. Trump has already sent the National Guard to Washington and vowed to do so in Chicago and New York – all Democratic-run cities.
“People are very concerned,” another told Washington Post. “They have no idea what it means.”
Others say the Defence Secretary will brief the generals on future plans. Trump has recently mused about taking back Bagram Airbase from the Taliban. He also recently slammed Tehran for its attempts to build a nuclear weapon and warned that it will never be allowed to do so. He also slammed Hamas for the war in Gaza.
What is the administration saying?
Not much. The Pentagon is playing its cards close to the vest. Spokesman Sean Parnell simply said that “the Secretary of War will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week.”
“I love it. I mean, I think it’s great,” US President Donald Trump has said. “Let him be friendly with the generals and admirals from all over the world.”
Trump said weapons and equipment would be discussed.
“We have the greatest equipment in the world,” he said. “A lot of generals want to be here. They’re also going to be touring equipment sites. They’re going to be talking about the newest weapons.” Trump said he would attend “if they want me.”
“Why is that such a big deal?” he wondered further.
Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, sought to tamp down on expectations, saying it is “actually not unusual at all.”
“I think it’s odd that you guys have made it into such a big story,” he added.
All eyes are on Hegseth, who has wrought massive changes at the Pentagon including ordering a 20 per cent reduction in four-star officers, continuing the broad job reductions and firings that have marked the first several months of his tenure. “More generals and admirals does not lead to more success,” Hegseth said while announcing the ordered cuts.
Hegseth has also rebranded the Defence Department as the ‘Department of War’.
He has been embroiled in a number of controversies including leaking plans for a strike on Yemen and high turnover of staff amid accusations of conflicts and betrayals.
Prior to his appointment as Defence Secretary, Hegseth was slammed by the Democrats for allegations made against him of sexual assault and drinking. He has also opposed women serving in combat roles and taken aim at diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies. He has also banned trans people from serving in the military.
Trump and other senior officials have often accused the senior military leaders of being ‘incompetent’ and claimed that the US military has gone soft due to it being ‘woke’. They point to the record of the US military since World War II – with the defeat in Vietnam and disasters in Iraq and Afghanistan.
With inputs from agencies
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