U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned senior U.S. military officers from around the world to a meeting in Quantico, Virginia next week, five officials told Reuters on Thursday, a rare gathering of U.S. military leadership in one location.
It was not clear why Hegseth has ordered the generals and admirals to meet in one place on such short notice, and two of the officials said this has created uncertainty among the expected attendees.
Senior military officials in some cases command thousands of troops. Most have detailed schedules weeks in advance, which have now been upended.
"People are scrambling to change their plans and see if they have to attend," one U.S. official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
It was unclear how many officials will actually attend the event, but it is rare to have so many senior officials in the same room at the same time.
Asked for comment, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said only: "The Secretary of War will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week." Parnell's office did not respond to questions about the number of officers, purpose of the meeting or why Hegseth called so abruptly.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed numerous generals and admirals, as well as some of their staff, from around the world to come to Quantico, Virginia, next week, U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News on Thursday.
"The Secretary of War will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week," said chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.
The Pentagon has provided no other details about the meeting to either the military leaders or the press.
The news of the meeting was first reported in The Washington Post.
There are regularly scheduled meetings with senior military leaders, but a meeting of this size — in person and on such short notice — is rare, if not unprecedented.
Some officials have raised other theories, like whether he will roll out the National Defense Strategy, released every four years, which details the priorities for the department. This year's National Defense Strategy is expected to place a heavier emphasis than previous ones on defending the homeland with operations in U.S. Southern Command, like the recent strikes destroying boats of alleged drug smugglers, and in U.S. Northern Command at the southwest border.
The meeting also comes as Congress remains deadlocked over funding the government, teeing up a potential government shutdown on Oct. 1. If the government shuts down, paychecks for military personnel will be delayed, although they will still be required to report for duty.
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