WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned senior US military officers from across the world to a meeting in Quantico, Virginia next week, five officials told Reuters, a rare gathering of US 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 US 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.”

Trump has ordered the department to rename itself the Department of War, a change that will require action by Congress.

Parnell’s office did not respond to questions about the number of officers, purpose of the meeting or why Hegseth called so abruptly. However, at the White House, US Vice President J.D. Vance claimed that such a meeting was “not unusual at all.”

The US has troops around the world, including in distant locations like South Korea, Japan and across the Middle East, which are commanded by two, three and four-star generals and admirals.

“It’s probably more mundane than people think… (but) the lack of clarity isn’t helping,” the official said.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2025