- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered hundreds of US Army generals and Navy admirals to gather at Marine Corps base in Virginia for meeting on Tuesday without providing specific reason

ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump on Sunday confirmed that he plans to attend the meeting organized by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that will gather hundreds of senior military officers near Washington, DC, on Tuesday.

“It’s really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things. It’s just a good message,” Trump told NBC News in a phone call.

“We have some great people coming in, and it’s just an ‘esprit de corps.’ You know the expression ‘esprit de corps’? That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing, and how we’re doing,” he said.

On Thursday, Hegseth ordered hundreds of US Army generals and Navy admirals to gather at a Marine Corps base in Virginia for a meeting without providing a specific reason.

The directive was sent to nearly all senior commanders worldwide, according to more than a dozen people familiar with the matter. The state of Virginia, just south of Washington, DC, is also home to the Pentagon.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed Thursday that Hegseth will address senior military leaders early next week but provided no additional details.

Sources told the media outlet that Hegseth's order applies to all senior officers at the rank of brigadier general and above, or their naval equivalents, those in command positions, and top advisors.