Overview

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered hundreds of generals and admirals to travel to the Marine Corps base in Quantico on short notice, according to multiple reports.
• Officials describe the meeting as a motivational rebranding centered on a renewed “warrior ethos” with tighter readiness, fitness and presentation standards, not a forum for major national-security announcements.
• Trump’s participation follows new domestic deployments, including his plan to send forces to Portland, which has heightened worries about political overtones before a nonpartisan military audience.
• Several officials voiced concern about cost and disruption, with sources telling CNN that airfare alone will likely run into the millions of dollars.
• Organizers expect to carry the remarks live, a decision that left some officers questioning the need for an in-person mass convocation.