U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called in more than 800 American military generals and admirals dispersed around the world.
According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 25th (local time), Minister Hegseth ordered nearly all U.S. military commanders at the rank of brigadier general (one-star) and above to assemble on the 30th at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
A Ministry of National Defense Spokesperson said only that "Minister Hegseth plans to deliver a direct message to the senior command early next week."
The vast majority of generals serving not only in the United States but also at U.S. military bases around the world, including the Middle East, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific, are subject to the call-up. WP reported that generals in conflict zones are no exception.
The reason for the call-up has not been disclosed, but cases of convening senior commanders at the rank of brigadier general and above serving around the world in one place are extremely rare, prompting various speculations about the reason.
WP noted that Minister Hegseth has sought to exert greater influence over personnel decisions for senior commanders, and pointed out that it does not appear unrelated to the situation in which the possibility of a federal government shutdown is being discussed in connection with a recent stopgap spending bill.
Concerns are also being raised about a security gap resulting from a large number of generals being gathered in one place. An official at the Ministry of National Defense said, "If something breaks out, the command structure will inevitably be weakened."