The meeting is anticipated to occur at the military facility in Quantico, Virginia, as multiple officials have stated. Interestingly, it appears no one, including the general and flag officers, knows the agenda of this meeting or why it was abruptly scheduled.

A well-informed source mentioned hearing various theories about the meeting’s purpose, ranging from a collective physical fitness test, updates regarding the Defense Department’s status, to the possibility of a mass dismissal of officers. Nonetheless, the sudden gathering of such a substantial number of senior military officers is highly unusual.

Trump said the meeting would at least partially be tied to a review of military equipment.

“We have the greatest equipment in the world,” he said.

“A lot of generals want to be here. They’re also going to be touring equipment sites. They’re going to be talking about the newest weapons.”

It remains unclear whether the directive applies to all general and flag officers—those holding a rank of one star or higher—or just those occupying specific command or leadership positions.

This meeting takes place amid a series of dismissals of prominent general and flag officers by the Trump administration since it came into power in January, often sparked by Hegseth’s initiatives against diversity-based matters, but frequently also for reasons that have not been publicly disclosed.

Hegseth also ordered the Defence Department in May to cut the number of four-star generals and admirals by at least twenty per cent.

The officers dismissed to date include former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown; Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the ex-Chief of Naval Operations; Adm. Linda Fagan, the former Commandant of the Coast Guard; Gen. James Slife, the prior vice chief of the Air Force; Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, the former director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency; Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, the previous chief of the Navy Reserve; and Rear Adm. Milton Sands, who used to head Naval Special Warfare Command.

Before taking on the role of defence secretary, Hegseth repeatedly voiced disdain for much of the military’s currently serving general and flag officer corps.

In a podcast appearance last summer, Hegseth said a third of the military’s senior officers were “actively complicit” in what he argued is a move towards politicisation of the military.

In a second podcast, he said senior officers were “playing by all the wrong rules” to cater to “ideologues in Washington, DC.”