Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned scores, and perhaps hundreds, of generals and admirals from around the world to meet on short notice next week at a Marine Corps base in Virginia but has not disclosed the reason for the gathering, four U.S. officials said Thursday.

The unusual directive, which has been filtering its way through military commands, and the undisclosed rationale, has stirred anxiety and concern among the military’s top ranks in a period when Hegseth has fired several senior officers.

The four U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential meetings, confirmed that the gathering was scheduled for Tuesday at the base in Quantico, Virginia.

About 800 General-Level Officers in US Military

There are about 800 general-level officers in the armed forces, including 44 at the most senior, four-star level. It was not immediately clear how many of them would be ordered to the gathering, which was reported earlier by The Washington Post.

When asked by reporters at the White House about the summit, President Donald Trump initially appeared unfamiliar with Hegseth’s plans. He seemed to assume that the defense secretary was bringing foreign military officers in for a meeting.

“I think it is great; let him be friendly with generals and admirals from all over the world,” Trump replied. “Remember, I’m the president of peace.”

Vice President JD Vance interrupted to clarify that the summit was for U.S. generals and downplayed its significance.

“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. “I think it’s odd that you guys have made it into such a big story.”

Hegseth has made relatively few public appearances and has done almost no foreign travel this summer to meet with his commanders and foreign counterparts around the world. He is expected to resume overseas travel as soon as next month.

Hegseth Has Led Sharp Reduction in Military Brass

In May, Hegseth ordered a 20% reduction in four-star officers and a 10% cut in all general-level officers, continuing the broad job reductions and firings that have marked the first several months of his tenure. Hegseth has also signaled that he wants to consolidate some of the military’s war-fighting commands and pare the number of generals and admirals there.

Hegseth has already fired more than a dozen military leaders, many of them people of color and women. He fired the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Brown Jr., who is Black; the first woman to command the Navy, Adm. Lisa Franchetti; and the U.S. military’s representative to the NATO military committee, Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield. He also pushed out Gen. David Allvin, the Air Force chief of staff, and Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The chief Pentagon spokesperson, Sean Parnell, said in a statement that Hegseth “will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week,” but he offered no additional details.

It was not clear what role if any Trump or White House aides had in ordering or approving the gathering, and if Trump would attend. Congressional officials said Thursday that they were caught off guard by the news of the impending high-level meeting.

The top four-star combatant commanders and the chiefs of the armed services typically meet at least twice a year in Washington, often holding a working dinner with the president. But the large number of lower-ranking generals and admirals in command positions who could also be ordered to Washington — including those working active conflict zones in the Middle East, Africa and Europe — is without precedent in recent memory, military officials said.

The generals and admirals will also be accompanied by their senior enlisted personnel advisers, two military officials said, bringing the perspective of the rank-and-file service members to the meeting.

Senior Pentagon civilian and uniformed military leaders routinely conduct video calls to discuss sensitive operational or policy matters. But convening scores, and perhaps hundreds, of senior officers in one place raises security and logistical questions, several current and former officers said.

The summons comes as Hegseth has just cemented restrictions on how military and Pentagon officials can engage directly with the public. In a memo last week, he said that participation in many events now requires written approval from the Pentagon’s press office. Exceptions include Pentagon-hosted industry meetings and some briefings involving foreign governments.

Hegseth’s top aides are also putting the finishing touches on a draft of a new national defense strategy for the Pentagon. The document, yet to be released, is reported to place homeland security, and defense of the Western Hemisphere, at the top of the priorities of what Trump is now calling the Department of War.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Eric Schmitt, John Ismay, Greg Jaffe and Helene Cooper/Kenny Holston

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