Hegseth Calls Mystery Meeting of Top Brass
Every general and admiral in a command billet has been called for a last-minute gathering about some unspecified topic.
WaPo (“Hegseth orders rare, urgent meeting of hundreds of generals, admirals“):
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered hundreds of the U.S. military’s generals and admirals to gather on short notice — and without a stated reason — at a Marine Corps base in Virginia next week, sowing confusion and alarm after the Trump administration’s firing of numerous senior leaders this year.
The highly unusual directive was sent to virtually all of the military’s top commanders worldwide, according to more than a dozen people familiar with the matter. The directive was issued earlier this week, as a government shutdown looms, and months after Hegseth’s team at the Pentagon announced plans to undertake a sweeping consolidation of top military commands.
[…]
There are about 800 generals and admirals spread across the United States and dozens of other countries and time zones. Hegseth’s order, people familiar with the matter said, applies to all senior officers with the rank of brigadier general or above, or their Navy equivalent, serving in command positions and their top enlisted advisers. Typically, these officers each oversee hundreds or thousands of rank-and-file troops.
Top commanders in conflict zones and senior military leaders stationed throughout Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region are among those expected to attend Hegseth’s meeting, said people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to publicly discuss the issue. The order does not apply to top military officers who hold staff positions.
“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 states, according to one person who saw a copy. O-7 through O-10 refers to the military’s classification for all generals and admirals.
Not only is this unusual—quite possibly unprecedented—but it’s just odd. If the intention is to get feedback on some major policy change from his top commanders, it would seemingly make more sense to give them some a readahead or at least some broad notice as to the meeting topic in advance so that they can be best prepared to do so. If he simply wants to transmit an order to them for which no feedback is desired, then a written order would seem to suffice.
Naturally, the secretive, last-minute order is causing consternation:
None of the people who spoke with The Post could recall a defense secretary ever ordering so many of the military’s generals and admirals to assemble like this. Several said it raised security concerns.
“People are very concerned. They have no idea what it means,” one person said.
Others expressed frustration that even many commanders stationed overseas will be required to attend Hegseth’s impromptu summit, with some questioning the wisdom in doing so. “It will make the commands just diminished if something pops up,” a defense official said.
The Defense Department possesses highly secure videoconferencing technology that enables military officials, regardless of their location, to discuss sensitive matters with the White House, the Pentagon or both. Another person said ordering hundreds of military leaders to appear in the same location is “not how this is done.”
“You don’t call GOFOs leading their people and the global force into an auditorium outside D.C. and not tell them why/what the topic or agenda is,” this person added, using an abbreviation for general officer or flag officer.
“Are we taking every general and flag officer out of the Pacific right now?” one U.S. official said. “All of it is weird.”
Presumably, if it’s only commanders and their senior enlisted advisors being called in, their deputies, operations officers, and other competent leaders will remain in theater. And those flying to Quantico will presumably do so on aircraft equipped with secure communications. But, yes, there’s a reason this is unprecedented.
The orders come as Hegseth has unilaterally directed massive recent changes at the Pentagon — including directing that the number of general officers be reduced by 20 percent, firing senior leaders without cause and a high-profile order to rebrand the Defense Department as the Department of War.
Given how many senior officers have already been fired without calling an all-hands meeting, I’d be shocked if that were the purpose here.
Top administration officials also have been preparing a new national defense strategy that is expected to make homeland defense the nation’s top concern, after several years of China being identified as the top national security risk to the United States. Some officials familiar with the order to travel said they thought that may come up.
The draft was due to Hegseth almost a month ago. Whether it has been finalized and promulgated on the classified side remains fuzzy. I know a public version has yet to be released, although one is rumored to come very soon. Regardless, we have means of instantly transmitting these documents to senior leaders; there would be no reason to call a meeting for that purpose.
My instincts tell me this is about a loyalty pledge. IMO, this admin has made it obvious that there is no intent for Trump to ever leave office. Everyone aimlessly watches it happening.
I’d bet it’s either something nefarious and unethical, or a nothingburger on the order of “this mass meeting could have been a Signal message.”
We may be about to find out if we have the military we thought we had.
Has Dr. Strangelove been invited?
My SWAG (scientific wild-ass guess) is, “photo-op with Trump, who says something horrible while standing in front of them”.
The doors, then windows slam shut and can’t be opened, then a mysterious gas enters the room. The next day a new senior level of command is introduced, Ivan, Dmitri, Boris, Nikolai…
@HelloWorld: bing, bing, bing. You are most likely correct.
My guess is Hegseth drunk posted this and now they have to do something.
As to domestic security being the priority instead of China, that flies in the face of all military tradition. You always prepare for the biggest threat you can get Congress or parliament to accept. Domestic security doesn’t generate requirements for fancy new toys. Except surveillance tech.
Can you imagine being career military and having to follow this guy anywhere?
In no particular order:
– Loyalty pledge
– Distraction
– Some weird version of an all-hands meeting that could have been an email
– Photo op
– Restructuring announcement that will not go as planned
@HelloWorld:
You’re most likely right.
@Michael Reynolds: That is what worries me. There’s been little squawk from any military on the base name changes, the firing of “DEI” members, academy book removals, or any of the right wing BS. Which makes me suspicious that the leadership I once knew is gone or spineless.
The US still isn’t in a place where some long knives might be being sharpened.. right?
So the Joint Chiefs are not invited? Or their staffs? Or most GOs in the Pentagon? Or the GOs in non operational commands like the Air Force Material Command (dozens of GOs)?
Has to be a roll out of a new organization of operational commands. Don’t remember but isn’t that created by act of Congress?
Or are we changing the Joint Chiefs concept and going to a German General Staff concept? Again, laws.
1. Fealty
2. War
3. Aliens
4. Flex
5. Reorg
Coincidentally same day as last fiscal day, shutdown day. 9/30
All very bizarre
@Jc:
Maybe I’m irony-impaired, but I would lean toward that not being a coincidence at all.
In a WW2 movie, this scene would end about 30 seconds after someone sets up machine guns on the edge of the parade ground…
My WAG is Trump wants an audience to perform in front of so he asked Heggie to get all the generals together. Heggie can’t tell anyone what it’s about because he doesn’t know…and quite possibly neither does Trump. He is a man in love with the sound of his own voice.
Loyalty oath which contradicts their oath to defend the Constitution? An incredibly risky gambit to play with that gathering for a signature on a piece of paper. Already in a foul mood from being told to be there, all or most of them might simply walk out, leaving the ultimatum-giver standing on the podium utterly, hopelessly beclowned.
My pessimistic guess is Trump tells them that when Congress fails to pass his budget, and the government is shut down, he will declare martial law and the Generals will have to enforce it. Overseas commanders included because there will be large-scale movement of troops back to the US.
Awful team building exercise, or evil, or both?
I’m guessing some kind of mandatory prayer meeting. So both.
@HelloWorld: If it’s a loyalty oath, I hope they all just quietly sign and then just don’t do anything “loyal” when asked.
Make it a big surprise, rather than getting fired and letting Trump put in more obedient replacements.
“You will obey orders to shoot civilians, foreign or domestic, without any hesitation or questioning. Acknowledgement that the President has the authority to issue such orders will be given to you to sign before you leave, along with a commitment to follow them. Anyone unwilling to do so will be placed on leave immediately, pending dishonorable discharge for insubordination.”
Much like PBD, Hegseth sees himself as the leader of a MLM scheme. This is his annual hype meeting for the Top Sellers.
I think he intends, per orders from Trump, to tell the flag officers that they are changing military philosophy. That they will be involved in more domestic actions and they have to accept that or leave. That they will have a (macho) warrior culture so not only no more DEI, no trans or gay people, but no touchy feely stuff like humanitarian aid missions. I dont know about a fealty oath but I suspect Hegseth will tell them they are being watched and actions taken that undercut the warrior culture like actually prosecuting warriors for sexual harassment or misconduct will lead to dismissal. (I assume Trump will deliver the keynote address and it will be closely noted if anyone fails to engage in sufficient groveling.)
Steve