Possible Agenda Items Emerge for Generals Meeting

In the absence of an explanation for ordering hundreds of generals and admirals to Virginia to hear from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday, possible agenda items are being floated. The mystery only deepened in the Oval Office on Thursday when reporters asked about the meeting. "I think it's great when generals and top people want to come to the United States to be with our now-secretary of war," President Trump answered—though it wasn't their idea. "It's not particularly unusual that generals who report to the secretary of War and then to the president of the United States are coming to speak with the secretary of War," Vice President JD Vance said, per the Hill. He added, "It's actually not unusual at all"—though no one can name a similar meeting.

• Warriors: The nation's military leaders are in for a talking-to about the "warrior ethos," per the Washington Post. One person familiar with planning discussions said, "It's meant to be an eyeball-to-eyeball kind of conversation. He wants to see the generals." Pentagon officials questioning the whole idea pointed out that many of the officers on their way served in combat. "They don't need a talk from Secretary Hegseth on the warrior ethos," one Defense official said.
• Consequences: Officials told Politico that the event will be something like a pep rally, though maybe one with an edge. Hegseth wants to deliver messages about conduct and expectations, they said, and stress that they need to move in the same direction or face career consequences.

• Dread: Anxiety is high among the generals and admirals over the meeting, per the New York Times, with some of them suspecting firings are ahead. It's hard for many to imagine that so many commanders are being pulled from all over the world, including places with ongoing conflicts, just to hear a speech billed as lasting less than an hour. Trump said the generals want to see new equipment. "They're going to be talking about the newest weapons, etc.," he said, per Politico. There's no word about what new weapons there might be.
• A historical point: Hegseth did respond to one post. Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges wrote that in 1935, Germany's generals were "called to a surprise assembly in Berlin" and "required to swear a personal oath to the Führer." Trump was quoted during his first term as saying, "I need the kind of generals that Hitler had." Hegseth answered Hodges' post with "Cool story, General."