Leaks Show Hegseth’s Selfish Reason for Calling in Generals
The Fox News host-turned-defense secretary is all about the optics.
New details have emerged about why Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is inviting top military officials from around the world to an in-person meeting in Virginia next week.
The former Fox News anchor, now a senior Trump administration official, reportedly wants to record his brief speech.
Several people familiar with the event told The Washington Post that Hegseth will discuss military standards and the “warrior ethos.”
A White House official told CNN that the meeting was intended as a show of force and to highlight the military’s image under Trump.
In his speech, Hegseth will reportedly discuss the Trump administration’s redesign of the Defense Department, which will become a “War Department,” and discuss new standards for readiness, fitness, and training.
As CNN has learned, “personalities with stars on their shoulders attract a wider audience.”
The Defense Secretary’s team plans to record his speech and make it public. The White House will also amplify its audio.
The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, has been described as a “pep rally.” But bringing hundreds of generals to Quantico, including those stationed overseas, could prove extremely costly.
In response to a question from The Daily Beast about Hegseth’s plan to use the meeting for video production, a Pentagon spokesperson said he had nothing to add, beyond a brief statement from the keynote speaker, Sean Parnell.
Parnell said, “The Secretary of Defense will address his senior military leaders early next week.”
The video conference plan reportedly explains why the meeting cannot be held via secure video conferencing. Some retired military officials have suggested not only that it is possible, but also that it would be less risky than gathering so many senior military officials in one location.
CNN reported that the initial idea for the top military leadership gathering was Hegseth’s.
The defense secretary, an Army veteran, has repeatedly expressed his contempt for “attention-seeking” military leaders, ordered a reduction in the number of four-star generals, sharply criticized what he called “the warrior spirit,” and shared his experience in training.
Hegseth has remained largely tight-lipped about the upcoming meeting, but appeared to address some concerns about it Friday morning with a sarcastic post on X.com.
“Great story, General,” the defense secretary wrote in response to a tweet from retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges about Adolf Hitler’s 1935 gathering of Nazi generals and their “demand to swear a personal oath to the Führer.”
Since Hegseth’s order to gather the top generals was not explained, several retired military officials raised questions.
Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Friday that he had never heard of such a meeting, with so many senior officials present, in the history of the U.S. military.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, and it seems very strange to me,” he said.
