Overview

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered roughly 800 one-star-and-above officers and their senior enlisted advisers to convene Sept. 30 at Marine Corps Base Quantico on minimal notice.
• Trump confirmed to NBC News that he will attend and speak, and planning documents indicate the Secret Service will assume control of security for the event.
• The Pentagon says Hegseth will address senior leaders, and reporting indicates he plans to press a “warrior ethos,” new standards and his vision for the department rebranded as the “Department of War.”
• Current and former officials describe the mass in‑person gathering as highly unusual, citing multimillion‑dollar travel costs, the risk of concentrating top commanders in one location and possible disruption if a government shutdown occurs.
• Democracy Forward filed a FOIA request for records on the meeting’s purpose and safeguards, and the ACLU urged Congress to seek transparency and ensure the event is not misused for political ends.