The U.S. Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, has ordered hundreds of generals and admirals of the U.S. Armed Forces to urgently gather—without any official explanation—at a Marine Corps base in Virginia next week, causing confusion and concern after successive dismissals of senior officials from the Trump administration this year.

The highly unusual order was sent to nearly all top commanders worldwide, according to more than 12 people familiar with the matter. According to The Washington Post, the order was issued earlier this week amid the threat of a government shutdown, and just months after Hegseth’s team at the Pentagon announced plans for a broad restructuring of senior military commands.

In a related statement today, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed that Hegseth “will address his senior military leaders early next week,” without providing further details.

About 800 generals and admirals serve in the U.S. and overseas. The order, according to the same sources, applies to all officers at the rank of brigadier general and above—or the equivalent Navy rank—who hold command positions, along with their senior enlisted personnel. Typically, these officers command hundreds or even thousands of soldiers.

Senior commanders from combat zones, as well as military personnel in Europe, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific, are expected to attend, sources said on condition of anonymity. The order does not apply to senior officers in staff positions.

This move by the Department of Defense—which has recently been renamed the Department of War—has already raised significant questions, as U.S. media report that there is no precedent for such an action involving such a large number of active senior officers. The choice of political appointees at the Department not to provide any information regarding the agenda or duration of this meeting also leaves important gaps.

The order comes as Hegseth has already unilaterally carried out major changes at the Pentagon, including reducing senior officers by 20%, dismissing officers without explanation, and issuing the controversial but popular order to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War.

The administration is also preparing a new national defense strategy, expected to prioritize the protection of the U.S. homeland after years of focusing on China as the top threat. Some who are aware of the travel order believe this will be addressed at the meeting.

The May directive to cut about 100 generals and admirals has also raised concern. At that time, Hegseth requested a “minimum” 20% reduction in four-star active-duty officers, along with a corresponding reduction in the National Guard. A further reduction of at least 10% in the total number of generals and admirals is also planned.

Last month, Hegseth dismissed Lieutenant General Jeffrey Cruz, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency; Rear Admiral Nancy Lacore, head of the Navy Reserve; and Rear Admiral Milton Sands, a SEAL officer commanding the Naval Special Warfare Command. No official reason was given in any of these cases.

These dismissals are part of a broader “purge” of senior national security officials. Since the start of his term, the Trump administration has also removed Chief of Staff General Charles K. Brown Jr., Navy operations chief Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan, and Air Force Vice Chief General James Slife, among others. The list disproportionately includes women.