Trump to address emergency meeting of US top military leadership – AP
US President Donald Trump will address a meeting of senior military leaders on Tuesday 30 September, urgently convened by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Source: Associated Press, citing a White House official
Details: Hegseth reportedly summoned hundreds of generals and admirals from around the world to the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia.
Hundreds of generals and admirals – senior commanders with ranks of one star and above, along with their principal advisers – were called without prior notice by Hegseth from across the globe to the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia.
A White House official was not authorised to disclose the president's plans ahead of the public announcement of his participation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Trump said in a Sunday interview with NBC News that the participants will be "talking about how well we're doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things".
News of the meeting emerged on Thursday 25 September and initially no explanation was given for the unusual gathering.
The White House official said that the president's participation had not been part of the original plan, but he had decided he wanted to attend.
The report noted that Trump's presence increases the likelihood of politicising the event before a non-partisan audience of military leaders. For example, in June he addressed service members at Fort Bragg in North Carolina with a campaign-style speech in which he criticised his predecessor Joe Biden.
Trump has also increased the presence of troops in US cities, citing the need to combat crime in areas where Democratic leaders have struggled to maintain public safety.
The National Guard continues to patrol the District of Columbia and smaller deployments are expected in Memphis, Tennessee. Trump said on Saturday 27 September he would also send troops to Portland, Oregon, to protect against "domestic terrorists".
Despite objections from local and state officials, Trump previously deployed National Guard troops and active-duty marines to Los Angeles, where protests were held against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
The Associated Press noted that the US armed forces include 800 generals and admirals of all ranks. Many command thousands of service members and are stationed worldwide across more than a dozen countries.
Background: On 25 September, Hegseth ordered hundreds of US generals and admirals to gather at the Marine Corps base in Virginia this week on short notice, without explaining the reasons.
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