As we’ve reported, Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth has called for a meeting on September 30 at Quantico Marine Corps Base and ordered all top U.S. military commanders to attend. As our expert streiff has reported extensively, this has sent liberal pundits and woke members of the military into paroxysms of speculation, outrage, and fury because the agenda has not been announced.
It’s just so outrageous, they cry:
Hegseth better have a damn good reason for taking the historic and unprecedented step of summoning the most senior military officers from around the globe to a meeting. That reason better have nothing to do with determining their personal loyalty to Trump or Hegseth.
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) September 26, 2025
Now their heads are really going to explode, because on Sunday, news broke that the gathering will have a VIP attending: President Donald Trump. Cue the violins.
It’s all about the “esprit de corps,” the president said in an interview:
President Donald Trump in an interview with NBC News Sunday, confirmed that he plans to attend an unusual meeting organized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that will gather hundreds of senior military officers near Washington on Tuesday.
“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 in a phone call. “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.”
STREIFF’S MUST-READ ANALYSIS: Pete Hegseth's Shock Meeting With His Generals Could Be a Gamechanger for How the War Department Works
Trump went on to praise Hegseth for the meeting, saying he thinks it’s a “great” idea. “I know, I love it, I mean, I think it’s great,” he said. “Let him be friendly with the generals and admirals from all over the world.”
“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?”
The news comes after Trump issued an executive order earlier in September, adding a “secondary title” to the Department of Defense: the Department of War. Even though an official change to the department’s name would require an act of Congress, the executive order authorizes DOD officials to use the word "war" in their titles.
Hegseth wasted little time in changing his Twitter handle to “Secretary of War.”
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) September 5, 2025
Hooah! Meet the Newer, Better Department of War
The meeting is fast approaching, and it's sure to be one heck of an interesting day. Meanwhile, if Democrats and Republicans can’t come to an agreement, the government could shut down at midnight on October 1 (literally one minute after September 30 comes to a close).
Buckle up—it could be a bumpy week ahead. RedState will keep you updated as events unfold.
Editor's Note: Thanks to President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America's military.
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