'General squid games': Pete Hegseth urgently summons top military commanders in Quantico. Trump responds

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called for an urgent meeting next week at a Virginia base with the military's top officers, hundreds of generals, and admirals. Hegseth has abruptly summoned hundreds of America's top military commanders to a sudden, rare meeting at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, next Tuesday and this has sparked massive speculation in Pentagon and across the armed forces.

According to Axios, Pete Hegseth will address military leaders at Quantico, a Marine Corps base in Virginia, next week. The Pentagon confirmed Thursday that Hegseth will address senior US military leaders next week, but no further details were shared.

ALSO READ: Ex-NFL MVP Shaun Alexander stuns fans with baby no. 14 announcement: Who is his wife?

'General squid games'

According to CNN, no one seems to know what the meeting is about, including the general and flag officers themselves, or why it was suddenly added to the calendar. One source told CNN they heard theories ranging from a group physical fitness test, to receiving a briefing on the state of the Defense Department, to a mass firing of officers. But no one knows the reason as the sudden convening of so many senior military officers is highly unusual. “It’s being referred to as the general squid games,” one official quipped.

The gathering will include generals and admirals of one-star rank or higher, along with their senior advisers, flown in from across the United States and overseas. Chief spokesman Sean Parnell stated only that Hegseth plans to “address his senior military leaders early next week.” The Washington Post first broke the news of the order, which has been circulating through commands and sparking what the New York Times described as “anxiety and concern” among the ranks.

ALSO READ: Voddie Baucham's chilling final message for Charlie Kirk emerges after pastor's death

Some officials also raised security concerns about having so many high-ranking officers in one place at the same time. A congressional aide told CNN that unless Hegseth planned to announce “a major new military campaign or a complete overhaul of the military command structure, I can’t imagine a good reason for this.”

Who are attending Hegseth's meeting?

The invitations for Pete Hegseth's meetings were sent worldwide to leaders in the Middle East, Europe and Indo-Pacific for the Tuesday meeting, per the Washington Post. Not much is known about the meeting at present which has left several military and congressional officials stunned. The unexpected meeting has triggered rushed travel arrangements and raised concerns among defense officials, who fear both schedule disruptions and the security risks of gathering most of the military’s top leaders in a single location.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump on Thursday hailed Pete Hegseth's unusual order that hundreds of top officials meet in person next week. “It’s great when generals and top people want to come to the United States to be with a now-called secretary of War,” Trump said during a signing of executive orders, referring to his new rebrand of the Defense Department.

ALSO READ: Erika Kirk knew Trump long before she met Charlie? Romania charity allegations set internet ablaze

Asked about the gathering, Trump downplayed the speculation. “Isn’t it nice that people are coming from all over the world to meet?” he said, adding that the event would partly focus on reviewing military equipment. “We have the greatest equipment in the world. 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.”

Pete Hegseth has not said why he wants generals and admirals serving around the globe to show up for a meeting at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia.

“Whatever it is can be communicated through secure emails, phone calls and video links,” one of the officials told Politico, who like others, was granted anonymity to discuss internal decisions.

ALSO READ: Charlie Kirk's parents Robert and Kimberly were sidelined from his Arizona memorial? Speculations explode online