WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that he would inform a group of U.S. generals and admirals in Quantico, Virginia, that they were loved leaders who must be tough and strong.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called senior U.S. military commanders from across the globe to meet in Quantico on Tuesday — a unusual convention of the nation’s military brass in one place.
I want to say to the generals, we love them, they’re beloved leaders, be tough, be strong and be smart and be kind,” Trump said in an interview with Reuters.
“That’s all it is, esprit de corps. It’s about time somebody said that,” he said.
Trump’s presence would outshine Hegseth, who was to talk about the necessity of following a “warrior ethos” across the military and potentially discuss other topics.
The United States has military personnel scattered across the globe, from far-flung spots like South Korea, Japan and throughout the Middle East, under the command of two-, three- and four-star admirals and generals.
In nearly every public address he makes, Hegseth speaks of the “warrior ethos” and of the requirement that the U.S. military embrace a warrior culture.
This month, Trump issued an executive order to rename the Department of Defense the “Department of War,” going back to a name it used until after World War Two when officials tried to stress the Pentagon’s function of deterring war.
Hegseth, the previous host of Fox News, has acted with breathtaking rapidity to transform the department, removing senior generals and admirals as he attempts to pursue Trump’s agenda for national security and eliminate diversity programs he labels discriminatory.
Trump promises to inform US war commanders we love them
Reuters has been informed by officials that the ceremony is likely to occur at the Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia.
Some of the highest-ranking officials, who have U.S. military planes made available to them for official travel, will fly in at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
It is not known why the meeting could not be held virtually and will cost a minimum of millions of dollars to bring in and guard the large group.
