Hundreds of senior officers summoned to closed-door meeting as Hegseth reshapes defense leadership
Abrupt gathering at Virginia base follows months of leadership shakeups and broader strategic review, according to multiple outlets.
A surprise closed-door meeting of hundreds of the United States’ senior military officers is planned for next week at a Virginia Marine Corps base, according to multiple outlets. The order directing the gathering was sent to all of the armed forces’ top leaders worldwide earlier this week, and there has been no public explanation for the meeting, The Washington Post reported.
The event is being convened by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who has previously signaled plans to pare back the Pentagon’s senior ranks. The Daily Mail and other outlets report the moves would cut about 100 general and admiral positions as part of a broader effort to trim what he has described as a “redundant force structure” and to reduce what he has called a “red-tape jungle.” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Daily Mail that the secretary “will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week,” without providing further detail or expressing concerns about the meeting.
Roughly 800 generals and admirals are stationed across the United States and around the world, and the directive targets all senior commanders ranked brigadier general and above and their top enlisted advisers—many of whom lead large formations in diverse theaters.
Insiders told the Daily Mail that top-ranking officers from active conflict zones and key regions, including the Middle East, Europe and Asia, are expected to attend. A former Pentagon source described the development as unprecedented and said those familiar with the plan could not fully explain its purpose, noting that even insiders were left uncertain about the rationale.
The Washington Post has reported that key government figures are developing a fresh national defense plan that emphasizes homeland protection and reorients strategic concerns after years of prioritizing contingencies with China as a central focus. Sources familiar with the discussions say the coming meeting could touch on this strategic shift and how it would influence senior leadership.
The changes Hegseth has implemented in recent months include removing top-level officials, renaming the Defense Department as the Department of War and slashing the number of generals by roughly a quarter, according to coverage from Daily Mail and others. The broader shakeup aligns with his public criticisms of senior officials; he has argued that about one-third of the top brass have attempted to steer the military for political purposes, a view he has shared on podcasts and interviews.
Military and defense observers caution that the exact purpose of the meeting remains unclear as the date approaches. Some say the gathering could serve to present or debate a new defense framework, while others warn that it may reflect internal reorganization as much as a strategic shift. Officials familiar with the matter stress that planning can evolve quickly in such contexts and that few details are being publicly released at this stage.
This story is being updated as more information becomes available.