US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is considering bringing hundreds of the nation's senior military leaders to Marine Corps Base Quantico for a second address this year, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing US officials.
The potential gathering would mirror an unusual meeting Hegseth convened at Quantico last September, when he ordered generals and admirals from across the US military to assemble on short notice without initially providing a reason for the gathering.
Hegseth used that event to outline his priorities for the Pentagon, including a renewed emphasis on military readiness and "warfighting," while criticizing policies from the previous administration that he characterized as "woke."
"For too long, we have simply not done that. The military has been forced by foolish and reckless politicians to focus on the wrong things," Hegseth said at the time. "In many ways, this speech is about fixing decades of decay, some of it obvious, some of it hidden."
According to the Journal, Hegseth could again use Quantico to lay out his priorities and may announce a new set of directives for the military. It remains unclear when the proposed meeting would take place or whether every serving general and admiral would be required to attend.
"We have nothing to announce at this time," Pentagon spokesman Joel Valdez told the Journal.
Since taking over as Pentagon chief, Hegseth has sought to reverse diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within the Defense Department and place greater emphasis on physical readiness, appearance and traditional military standards.
At last year's Quantico gathering, Hegseth stressed physical fitness and grooming standards, including restrictions on beards and other changes to military appearance policies.
"The era of unprofessional appearance is over," Hegseth said. "No more beardos."
The Pentagon released 11 memorandums alongside the address outlining administration priorities, including changes to fitness and grooming standards.
It is not yet clear whether President Donald Trump would attend the second Quantico gathering.
