In an unprecedented show of force not seen for decades, President Donald Trump and his Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth convened nearly 800 American generals and admirals from around the globe on Tuesday, September 30, at the Quantico military base in Virginia, transforming what was intended to be a routine military meeting into a political gathering with authoritarian overtones.

Anonymized, for security reasons, senior military leaders listening to speeches by Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump (Source: letemps.ch)

Pulled from their commands in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and across American territory in total secrecy and with only a few days' notice, these senior officers—representing virtually the entire American military high command—found themselves witnessing a 72-minute address where Trump explicitly called for using the military against American cities led by Democrats, designating them as "training grounds" to combat "invasion from within."

This meeting, estimated to cost over $5 million and organized in defiance of standard security protocols that discourage gathering so many high-ranking officers in one location, marks a troubling turning point in the politicized use of American armed forces. The officers present remained silent in the face of partisan excesses from a commander-in-chief who now appears to view the military as an instrument of domestic repression rather than national defense.
Financial Impact: $166,666 Per Minute

Based on recent Pentagon data and current military operational costs, the total estimated expense for bringing 800 American generals and admirals from around the world to Quantico, Virginia, amounts to $5.6 million ($5.2 million euros).

This exceptional meeting organized by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in September 2025 represents an unprecedented gathering of the entire American military command structure. According to Pentagon sources, this marks the first time such a large number of general officers has been simultaneously summoned to a single location in decades.

This estimate remains approximate as it excludes indirect costs related to disrupting ongoing global operations and travel expenses for accompanying staff, which could easily double the total amount to $12 million. For 72 minutes of speeches, this translates to $166,666 per minute, not including the salaries of the Secretary of Defense and the President of the United States.

All this to hear, among other things, reprimands about their waistlines, beard-wearing, or anything resembling the "wokism" so reviled by the Trump administration.
Constitutional Crisis in the Ranks

Discomfort is palpable within the American high command following this Quantico meeting, where the frozen expressions on generals' and admirals' faces during the presidential address betrayed profound institutional embarrassment. Forced to sit silently through what resembled more of a political rally in the purest Stalinist tradition than a military briefing, these senior officers—who had been previously instructed by the Pentagon not to react or applaud except when the Joint Chiefs would—found themselves witnesses to a political instrumentalization of their function that directly conflicts with their professional values.

Several high-ranking officers have anonymously confided their "terrible" feelings about what they perceive as an "ideological loyalty test" and a "complete waste of money," with some even mentioning their intention to resign rather than endorse this drift.

At the heart of their discomfort lies a fundamental principle engraved in their officer's oath: "I do solemnly swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic"—a sacred commitment to the Constitution, not to a president or political party.

This crucial distinction, taught from West Point where future officers learn that "military allegiance belongs to the system of government codified in the Constitution" and not to any individual, now places these generals in an untenable position facing a commander-in-chief who seems intent on transforming the military into an instrument of domestic repression against American citizens, thus violating the very essence of their constitutional oath.

By Mehdi Khouli

Tags: #QuanticoMeeting #TrumpMilitary #ConstitutionalOath #PentagonCrisis #MilitaryIntegrity