President Donald Trump will join Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at an extraordinary gathering of America’s top leaders on Tuesday. Hegseth previously ordered every one-star general and above to head to Quantico, Virginia, for what was billed as a short speech on “warrior ethos.”
Now, the White House confirmed the president himself will attend.
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The meeting
Trump told NBC News on Sunday that it’s just a pep talk. He called it an “esprit de corps” moment to celebrate how well the military is doing.
He said he would be “talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things.”
The White House confirmed the president was not part of the initial plan when the meeting was scheduled. However, an official told the Associated Press that Trump decided he wanted to go.
Additional details surrounding the meeting have been scarce since it was announced on Thursday. The Pentagon only confirmed that Hegseth will address senior military leaders.
Hegseth’s team sent virtual invitations to all 800 generals and admirals worldwide, according to the Washington Post. Anyone with a rank of brigadier general or above is expected to attend.
Meeting met with concerns and questions
It’s not uncommon for the Secretary of Defense to meet with senior military leaders. However, as SAN has previously reported, meetings of this size and on this short notice are unprecedented.
When news of the meeting first broke, both Trump and Vice President JD Vance questioned why it was getting so much media attention.
Trump asked, “Why is that such a big deal?”
Vance had similar sentiments. “It’s not particularly unusual that generals who report to the Secretary of War and then to the President of the United States are coming to speak with the Secretary of War,” Vance said. “It’s actually not unusual at all. I think it’s odd that you guys have made it into such a big story.”
However, with hundreds of leaders summoned from around the world — some flying in from the Middle East and the Pacific — critics have concerns. They claim the cost, the risk of having so many senior officers in one place and the timing all raise serious concerns.
Government shutdown
The meeting in Quantico is scheduled for the same day that the government could face a shutdown.
If the government shuts down, paychecks for enlisted members will be delayed. However, they’ll still be required to report for duty.
