Washington, September 29 (HS):
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he will attend a gathering of the nation’s top military leaders on Tuesday in Virginia. The meeting was ordered last week by Defense Secretary—now referred to as Secretary of War—Pete Hegseth, who directed all senior generals and flag officers to be present.
According to The Washington Post, Trump’s presence at Marine Corps Base Quantico will likely overshadow Hegseth’s planned address and introduce heightened security concerns at what is being described as a historic and nearly unprecedented military assembly. Some generals and admirals are expected to travel thousands of miles to be in attendance. Trump characterized the upcoming discussion as mainly “a morale-boosting conversation.”
The White House confirmed that Trump not only plans to attend but will also deliver remarks to the assembled officers. Pentagon offices have been instructed to coordinate with Marine Corps University to ensure extensive security arrangements for the Tuesday morning event. With Trump attending, responsibility for the program’s security has been transferred to the U.S. Secret Service.
CNN reported that in his directive, Hegseth warned senior officers that any absence would require a “sufficient and appropriate justification.” Defense officials suggested the gathering is partly being viewed as a show of power. One military source familiar with the event’s planning described Hegseth’s effort as “an attempt to bring the horses back into the stable and whip them into line.”
Officials added that Hegseth may deliver a recorded address either before the meeting begins or at the venue itself. While hundreds of generals and flag officers have been summoned, many reportedly were not given a clear explanation for why they were required to travel to Virginia at short notice.
In a related development, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that generals from the Utah National Guard were not invited to the high-level meeting, despite the state having at least four general officers. These include the adjutant general, his deputy, and generals from both the Army and Air National Guard units. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell declined to comment on why Utah’s senior military leaders were excluded.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
