Is US planning an attack? Trump’s Defense Secretary summons 800 military officials for Virginia mysterious meeting; JD Vance says, ‘unusual…’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called an urgent meeting at a military base in northern Virginia for next week, bringing together hundreds of armed forces’ senior-most officers, including generals and admirals including generals and admirals, according to three sources familiar with the matter cited AP.

Who has been summoned to the mysterious Virginia meeting by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth?

The reason for the one-star or higher senior commanders and their senior advisors gathering next Tuesday at the Marine Corps base in Quantico was not stated in the directive. It was described as unusual by people who were not authorized to talk publicly about the sensitive plans and spoke Thursday under the condition of anonymity, reported AP.

What is the purpose of calling 800 top U.S. military officials together?

Sean Parnell, chief spokesperson for the Pentagon, affirmed that Hegseth “will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week.” Among the U.S. military services, there are nearly 800 generals and admirals at different ranks. Many of them oversee thousands of service members and are deployed across more than a dozen countries and multiple time zones.

When asked about the meeting during a Thursday appearance in the Oval Office, President Doland Trump appeared unaware of it. According to an AP report, Trump stated,” I’ll be there if they want me, but why is that such a big deal?”

Why has such a large-scale military meeting caused widespread speculation?

JD Vance, Vice President, asserted that the media exaggerated the incident, explaining that it was “not particularly unusual that generals who report to” Hegseth to meet with him. Originally reported by The Washington Post, the meeting came after several unusual and unexplained actions involving senior military officials taken by Hegseth.

During the month of May, Hegseth ordered the military to cut its number of four-star generals by 20%, ordered an additional cut of 10% across all general and flag officer positions, and ordered the National Guard to cut 20% of its senior leadership.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

1. Hegseth ordered the military to cut its number of four-star generals by 20%.
2. This meeting is regarded as unusual due to the size and timing.
3. Multiple reports and media analyses have suggested that the United States could be considering a military operation against Venezuela.
4. There are nearly 800 generals and admirals at different ranks.

This meeting is regarded as unusual due to the size and timing, and the fact that Hegseth is having his entire senior officer corps report to Washington on short notice, and without informing them of the purpose of the meeting, all of which has generated concerns in the military and on Capitol Hill. Multiple reports and media analyses have suggested that the United States could be considering a military operation against Venezuela.