Overview

• An order reported by The Washington Post directs senior commanders of brigadier general rank and above, their Navy equivalents, and their top enlisted advisers to assemble Tuesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico.
• Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed only that the secretary will address senior leaders next week, with officials describing the short-notice summons as unusual and disruptive to tightly scheduled commands.
• Officials and observers warned that concentrating so many top officers — including some from conflict zones and key regions such as Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific — could pose security and readiness risks.
• Across the services there are roughly 800 generals and admirals, and sources said they could not recall a defense secretary ordering such a large in‑person gathering without a stated purpose.
• The meeting follows Hegseth’s moves to cut four‑star billets by about 20%, reduce general and flag officers across the force and in the National Guard, rebrand the Pentagon as the Department of War, and remove several senior leaders, including the Defense Intelligence Agency director last month.