Hundreds of generals and admirals have been ordered to Virginia in the coming days, according to four defense officials who spoke to The Intercept on the condition of anonymity. The conclave of general and flag officers is unprecedented and alarming, the sources said.

The officials said that the military’s top brass were, on Wednesday, instructed to report to a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, on or around September 30 to meet with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Two sources believed that the timing was pegged to the potential government shutdown.

The officials were unsure of the exact reasons behind the extraordinary order. They speculated about the purpose, wondering if it might foretell a culling of general officers; a significant reorganization of the military command structure; a threat to eschew contact with the press; or a loyalty oath about putting Trump administration priorities above all else. One source, somewhat in jest, evoked the phrase “coup d’état,” later clarifying they meant a gutting of leaders who might question Trump’s policies.

“It is beyond highly irregular to have all the operational and command GOFOs tasked to fly to DC and also not tell any of them why.”

“It is beyond highly irregular to have all the operational and command GOFOs tasked to fly to DC and also not tell any of them why,” said one of the officials, using military shorthand for general and flag officers. “To say the military leadership is anxious would be an understatement.”

“The Secretary of War will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told The Intercept when asked about the fears expressed by the officials.

Most of the military’s top officers — those with the rank of brigadier general or above, or their naval equivalent — are required to attend, the officials said. They said that even top brass in conflict zones and forward areas are among those ordered to the meeting. One official told The Intercept that the order was “madness” and unlike any order in living memory “or probably ever.” Another said that calling home generals and admirals from front-line stations was “reckless” but in keeping with the Trump administration’s efforts to keep the top echelons of the officer corps on a tight leash.

Recently, the War Department unveiled a new policy designed to restrict press freedom. Under new rules, the department said it would forbid reporters from gathering any information that had not been approved for release and would revoke press credentials from any journalists who did not obey. In a Friday post on X, Hegseth said that “the press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility,” and that reporters would have to “wear a badge and follow the rules — or go home.”

Earlier this year, Hegseth ordered top Pentagon leadership to

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