Top Utah National Guard leaders, including the state’s adjutant general, have not been invited to an impromptu meeting of the military’s senior brass next week, a guard official said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — who now goes by secretary of war after President Donald Trump signed an executive order ceremoniously changing the name of the Defense Department — has ordered hundreds of general officers to a Tuesday meeting at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, The Washington Post first reported.
The rare meeting of so many senior military leaders in one location, which is also expected to include generals traveling back to the United States from combat postings overseas, has raised security concerns, sources familiar with the meeting told The Post.
“I confirmed with our leadership that we have not been invited to attend the meeting and do not have any information on what the meeting is about,” a spokesperson told The Salt Lake Tribune.
The Utah National Guard has at least four generals, including the state’s top military leader, the adjutant general, along with an assistant, and general officers over Army and Air National Guard units.
It’s unclear how many, if any, of the country’s National Guard generals will attend the meeting — or even if they were invited.
“The Secretary of War will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement when asked by The Tribune if Utah military leaders had been asked to attend the meeting.
After not responding Friday, the National Guard, on Saturday, referred The Tribune to the Defense Department.
A spokesperson for Hill Air Force Base, which includes multiple active-duty units, a nuclear weapons center and the Ogden Air Logistics Complex, did not respond to a request for more details on the meeting or if Hill would be sending any generals to the meeting.
Trump, the nation’s commander in chief, had no plans to attend the meeting, The New York Times reported Friday, but White House officials said that could change.
While public details about the Quantico meeting are sparse, it’s expected the generals will hear a “rally the troops” message, a senior administration official told The Times.
“The president gave us a clear mission: achieve peace through strength,” Hegseth said in a message to troops shortly after being confirmed in late January. “We will do this in three ways — by restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence.”
Note to readers, Sept. 27, 4:30 p.m. • This story has been updated to include remarks from the Defense Department and the National Guard.