US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is weighing a fresh call-up of hundreds of senior military officials to Marine Corps Base Quantico later this year, according to US officials cited in the report. If it goes ahead, the gathering would arrive nearly a year after Hegseth’s original order last September, when the country’s generals and admirals were summoned to the base on short notice — a move that caught senior officers off guard and stirred unease across the ranks at the time.
What Happened at the First Quantico Meeting
Hegseth used that earlier address to lay out his priorities for the Pentagon, taking aim at policies from the previous administration that he brands as “woke.” He told the assembled officers that the armed forces needed to return to what he calls their core purpose warfighting.
“For too long, we have simply not done that. The military has been forced by foolish and reckless politicians to focus on the wrong things,” Hegseth said at the time. “In many ways, this speech is about fixing decades of decay, some of it obvious, some of it hidden.”
A Possible Repeat Address
According to officials familiar with the matter, Hegseth is expected to return to the same venue to lay out his priorities once again. One official indicated the defense secretary could use the occasion to roll out a fresh set of directives for the armed forces. No date has been finalized for the proposed event, and officials have not clarified whether attendance would be mandatory for every serving general and admiralPentagon spokesman Joel Valdez offered a brief response when asked about the plans: “We have nothing to announce at this time.”
Hegseth’s Broader Push on Military Culture
Since stepping into the role of Pentagon chief last year, Hegseth has worked to unwind diversity and inclusion measures put in place under the previous administration. He has argued these policies compromised military standards, pressing instead for a culture centered on physical readiness and fitness rather than what he terms “wokeness.” That stance has drawn pushback from military experts and former officials, who contend Hegseth is steering the armed services toward a more partisan footing.
Muted Reaction From Officers
The mood among military officers at last year’s event was noticeably subdued. Both Hegseth and President Trump, who opened the proceedings, were met with a polite but restrained response, as officers largely kept their expressions neutral throughout the presentations. Military regulations that bar personnel from political activity or advocacy played a role in shaping that atmosphere.
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Trump, in a lengthy address, defended the administration’s use of military forces in policing American cities and signaled that further action could be on the way.
“What they’ve done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, they’re very unsafe places, and we’re going to straighten them out one by one,” Trump said. “And this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That’s a war too. It’s a war from within.”Whether Trump would attend a possible second gathering at Quantico remains unclear.
Standards, Fitness, and Grooming Rules
During his original speech, Hegseth zeroed in on military standards, telling service members they would be judged on both physical fitness and appearance. “The era of unprofessional appearance is over,” he said. “No more beardos.”
Alongside the address, the Pentagon issued 11 memorandums spelling out the administration’s departmental priorities, including revised fitness and grooming rules. Hegseth was direct about the standards for combat-related roles: “When it comes to any job that requires physical power to perform in combat, those physical standards must be high and gender-neutral. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it.”
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