‘It’s about time’: Trump says he will join gathering of US military leaders

Donald Trump promises to address a gathering of US admirals and generals in Quantico, Virginia, stating his commitment to being strong and resilient.

United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has summoned hundreds of generals and admirals from all over the world to the Marine Corps base without giving any notice. Senior commanders of the one-star rank or higher and their top advisers are among the summons.

Trump told the Reuters news agency in an interview that “we love them, they’re cherished leaders, to be strong, tough, smart, and compassionate.”

“That’s it, esprit de corps,” the statement read. He continued, “It’s about time someone did that.”

Trump’s presence may outweigh Hegseth’s discussion of the need to a “warrior ethos” throughout the military, which was expected to include topics in other fields. Two-, three-, and four-star generals and admirals command US troops all over the world, including in remote areas like South Korea, Japan, and across the Middle East.

Trump claimed in an interview with NBC News on Sunday that those present would be “talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being great, talking about a lot of good, positive things.”

Unsurprisingly, no explanation was initially given for the unusual gathering’s initial report about the summit.

Trump initially appeared unaware of it when reporters asked him during an Oval Office interview.

Why is it such a big deal that they will let me go? Trump posed a question.

In front of a non-partisan audience of military leaders, Trump’s participation in the meeting increases the chance of a politicized event.

For instance, he attacked Joe Biden, the Democratic president, in campaign-style remarks made to uniformed personnel at Fort Bragg in North Carolina in June.

The Republican president also plans to use the military more frequently in US cities, arguing that fighting crime where Democratic leaders are failing to protect the public is necessary.

In the District of Columbia, the National Guard is still conducting patrols, and Memphis, Tennessee is anticipated to have a smaller deployment.

Trump also approved sending troops to Portland, Oregon, to fight “domestic terrorists” on Saturday.

Trump previously sent the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles, where there were protests against immigration raids, over the objections of local and state officials.

There are ongoing lawsuits in California and Washington, DC over the deployment of troops, and by law, the National Guard can only be deployed at the governor’s request.

Hegseth will speak to his senior military leaders early next week, according to a top spokesman for the Pentagon.

800 generals and admirals of all ranks are present in the military. Many of the world’s more than a dozen countries and time zones have commanding officers and thousands of service members.

Former Fox News host Hegseth has made a number of changes since taking office, including changing the Pentagon’s name to the Department of War and enforcing a pledge to journalists covering the Pentagon to stop publishing unauthorised information.

At least 17 people were killed in three attacks, according to reports that the US is considering attacking the South American nation, and Trump has recently ordered air strikes on ships leaving Venezuela.

Source: Aljazeera