As questions swirl over the intent behind Minister Pete Hegseth's abrupt convocation of an all-services commanders' conference, it has emerged that the Ministry of National Defense listed the rank of the commander of U.S. Forces Korea one grade lower.
According to foreign media on the 28th (local time), Minister Hegseth instructed commanders at the rank of brigadier general (one-star) and above across the United States and around the world last week to attend a meeting on the 30th at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. A commanders' meeting of this scale across all services is considered highly unusual, but Minister Hegseth and the Ministry of National Defense have not disclosed the reason for the convocation.
In particular, with speculation that Minister Hegseth could use the meeting to announce large-scale dismissals or demotions, internal anxiety is mounting. After taking office, Minister Hegseth emphasized restoring "military ethos" and dismissed numerous general officers.
The Washington Post (WP) reported that, amid this situation, the internal directory of the Ministry of National Defense listed the ranks of four-star generals Xavier Brunson and Ronald Clark as lieutenant generals (three-star). Brunson and Clark serve as commander of U.S. Forces Korea and commander of U.S. Army Pacific, respectively, raising the possibility that the stature of the two posts could be downgraded.
Col. Isaac Stern, spokesperson for Commander Clark, said the listing of Gen. Clark as a lieutenant general appeared to be an error and had been resolved, but some speculate it could be a deliberate move tied to a restructuring of the military leadership, including the commander of U.S. Forces Korea.
In particular, the new National Defense Strategy (NDS), which the Ministry of National Defense is expected to unveil soon, is said to prioritize the defense of the U.S. homeland and the Western Hemisphere rather than the Indo-Pacific region, unlike the previous administration, lending weight to this possibility.
At the same time, Minister Hegseth has argued that the military's combat power has weakened and dismissed dozens of Black and female general officers, including Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Charles Brown, who was appointed under the previous Biden administration, heightening concerns given that both Commander Brunson and Commander Clark are Black.
In May, Minister Hegseth also said he would "streamline bureaucratic and overlapping command structures" and ordered that the number of active-duty four-star generals be reduced by at least 20%. The U.S. military currently has about 800 general and flag officers.
Meanwhile, with President Donald Trump reportedly set to attend the commanders' meeting in person, some say the gathering could become a political event. Concerns have also been raised that bringing commanders from around the world together in one place could create a command gap or security issues in the event of a contingency.