President Donald Trump is set to attend Tuesday’s major military gathering in Quantico, Virginia.
“It’s really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things. It’s just a good message,” Trump told NBC News. “We have some great people coming in and it’s just an ‘esprit de corps.’ You know the expression ‘esprit de corps’? That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing, and how we’re doing.”
“Let him be friendly with the generals and admirals from all over the world,” Trump added. “You act like this is a bad thing. Isn’t it nice that people are coming from all over the world to be with us?”
War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s order calling for the meeting read, according to The Washington Post, “All general officers in command in grade O-7 through O-10 and their general officer senior enlisted advisers are directed to attend within operational constraints.”
Hegseth previously vowed to cut officer corps by 20%. In a May memorandum, he wrote that officials “must cultivate exceptional senior leaders who drive innovation and operational excellence, unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder their growth and effectiveness.”
“A critical step in this process is removing redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership by reducing excess general and flag officer positions,” he wrote, directing a 20% reduction of 4-star positions across the Active Component, a 20% reduction of general officers in the National Guard, and a 10% reduction in both general and flag officers with the realignment of the Unified Command Plan.
