Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to reporters at the Pentagon on July 16, 2025. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP/File

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s surprise gathering of hundreds of generals and admirals in Virginia next week is being called so he can describe the administration’s reinvention of the Department of Defense as the “Department of War” and outline new standards for military personnel, according to half a dozen people familiar with the planning.

“It’s meant to be a show of force of what the new military now looks like under the president,” a White House official told CNN.

The meeting is expected to resemble “a pep rally” where Hegseth will underscore the importance of the “warrior ethos” and outline a new vision for the US military, said three of the sources. He is

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