this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2025
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The Pentagon has summoned military officials from around the world for a gathering in Virginia. Even top generals and their staffs don’t know the reason for the meeting.

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[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 172 points 4 days ago (1 children)

There is no way this is a good thing. Summoning a single general to a meeting without giving any context is not a thing that is done. Summoning all of them and not stating the meeting purpose or providing read ahead charts or pre-briefs... that's incredibly ominous.

I'm hoping it is only him directing them to call it Dept of War (DoW) on all official comms instead of DoD.

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 124 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Its also ridiculously irresponsible.

There is a lot of discussion to be had over the actual value of a general in modern warfare (where individual soldiers have tactical value and so much decision making happens at the company or even squad level). But no discussion is required to say what a ridiculously juicy target "every high ranking military official" is and the massive damage to morale and organization that would ensue.

[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 89 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Yeah that’s a lot of HVT in one area.

I wouldn’t be super shocked if this turns into loyalty pledge-a-palooza.

[–] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 41 points 4 days ago (6 children)

That's my guess as well. "Swear a blood oath to King Trump personally or you're fired right now".

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[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 25 points 4 days ago

"Ich schwöre bei Gott diesen heiligen Eid, daß ich dem Führer des Deutschen Reiches und Volkes, Adolf Hitler, dem Oberbefehlshaber der Wehrmacht unbedingten Gehorsam leisten und als tapferer Soldat bereit sein will, jederzeit für diesen Eid mein Leben einzusetzen.“

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 19 points 4 days ago (1 children)

What, with the current administration, is not ridiculously irresponsible?

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[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 76 points 4 days ago (4 children)

Drunk texted them accidentally?

[–] SGforce@lemmy.ca 40 points 4 days ago (1 children)
[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 4 days ago

remOvE Me fRoM tHIs diStro LISt

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[–] KnitWit@lemmy.world 76 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

My guess is about 1/4 are about to be fired for not being enough of a sycophant. Everybody is being called for two reasons; that’s how the corpo’s do layoffs now and, more importantly, as of right now the admin has zero fucking clue which 1/4 they are going to fire yet. That list is going to have more day of changes than a Vince McMahon era PPV.

[–] Bebopalouie@lemmy.ca 14 points 4 days ago (3 children)

If they do replace them they will be incompetent boobs who will screw up at every turn. Might be a good thing?

[–] TheMadCodger@piefed.social 13 points 4 days ago

That's generally how fascism works, and doesn't last.

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[–] user_name@lemmy.world 55 points 4 days ago

“Okay boys, who’s in on the second Trump self-coup? Also, if you say no you’re going to the ICE camps.”

[–] Doolbs@lemmy.world 54 points 4 days ago (9 children)

We're going to war with somebody.

And all the times I've heard MAGA tell me Biden and the Dems were warmongers.

But, I could be wrong. I always admit that.

[–] hovercat@lemmy.blahaj.zone 46 points 4 days ago (3 children)

And all the times I've heard MAGA tell me Biden and the Dems were warmongers.

It's always projection. 100% of the time

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[–] EchoCranium@lemmy.zip 13 points 4 days ago

They need to christen their newly renamed Department of War with a war of some sort. Otherwise why go through all that trouble of renaming it. That would just look stupid.

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[–] calliope@retrolemmy.com 50 points 4 days ago (2 children)
[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 41 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)
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[–] teft@piefed.social 46 points 4 days ago

If I were a general I'd be worried about some sort of culling a la Saddam.

[–] TipRing@lemmy.world 44 points 4 days ago (5 children)

Telling them we are invading Venezuela probably.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 35 points 4 days ago

Or New York City.

[–] Skyrmir@lemmy.world 23 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The generals in Europe wouldn't care if we invaded South America. He's doing something bigger. My bet is invading Ukraine, Russia, NATO, or the US. And I couldn't guess which one. Maybe more than one.

[–] TipRing@lemmy.world 20 points 4 days ago

I hate that all these are legitimate possibilities. "We're doing a coup, so you will all be expected to do your part."

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 19 points 4 days ago (1 children)

That could be an email. Bringing them in person is alarming.

[–] TipRing@lemmy.world 36 points 4 days ago

Hegseth is a media talking head. He wants spectacle to garner viewership, so a dramatic in-person meeting would be the way he would do it.

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[–] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 44 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Smells like a purge.

The kind where they'll call names, take them outside, and summarily execute them for some invented treason.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 29 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I mean... the US military is supposed to be anti fascist, and if you're a general you've been there longer than just trumps term, so really they are all anti fascists.

Antifa is a terrorist organization now, so he'll round em all up, charge them with treason, and install new generals who've never served in the military before.

[–] BanMe@lemmy.world 28 points 4 days ago (11 children)

The military swears an oath to the constitution, not the president or any man. Which is what my air force friends have been telling me - don't worry, the forces won't go fascist. Trump apparently came to the same conclusion and is reducing their forces while he massively ramps up ICE, his new domestic army that DOES swear allegiance to him.

Which seems like it has implications but I'm no analyst.

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[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 42 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I remember hearing a story about some country's leader started gathering their legislators and then claimed he had uncovered a list of names conspiring against him, then announced the names one by one, got the soldiers to lead them to a hallway, and executed them, then the remainder of them pledge loyalty to the leader.

Something like that, forgot what country it was. But this sounds so familiar. Uncanny parallel.

[–] plyth@feddit.org 21 points 3 days ago

A video of that event exists. It was Saddam Hussein.

[–] towamo7603@lemmy.world 21 points 4 days ago (1 children)
[–] theherk@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago

Yeah, definitely talking about Iraq. Here is Hitch talking about it.

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[–] robocall@lemmy.world 38 points 3 days ago
[–] Gumbyyy@lemmy.world 37 points 4 days ago

That is seriously ominous

[–] verdi@feddit.org 37 points 3 days ago

Can anyone added accidentally to the signal group brief us on what happened in the meeting please.

[–] CrackedLinuxISO@lemmy.dbzer0.com 36 points 4 days ago (6 children)

This seems like exactly the type of gathering you want to avoid in a world where hypersonic missiles probably* exist.

* bring on the pedantry over what actually defines a hypersonic missile

[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 15 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Seems like the kind of gathering where you may want to bring a gun and sit near the emergency exit.

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[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 31 points 4 days ago (1 children)

"Ok everyone, we're here for a very important reason. Trump is pouty over his UN incident and we need to throw him a proper dictator worship party. I'm going to need all of you in DC pronto so we can really give those boots a good kissing. It's for The Good Of the Country™©®."

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[–] rozodru@piefed.social 30 points 4 days ago

I mean you don't really call in people from abroad to say "hey, war time" you call in people to tell them they're no longer needed and the others who are also called in get told about the "awesome" restructuring that's going on.

[–] CitizenKong@lemmy.world 30 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Trump is declaring war on the UN because of the escalator, starting the stupidest war since Caligula declared war on the sea.

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[–] KingArnulf@lemmy.world 28 points 3 days ago (3 children)

10 bucks says Hegseth meant to meet with a couple generals, but because he was drunk he accidentally sent the orders to every general and admiral in the military.

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[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 23 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Im calling it. Fight antifa which is anyone the administration says it is or anyone posting or demostrating against facism. I carry signs against facism regularly. no kings anyone?

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[–] mathemachristian@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Well we had the horst wessel shooting time for night of the long knives?

[–] silence7@slrpnk.net 27 points 3 days ago

More like the way Hitler had all the generals summoned in 1935 to take an oath to him personally instead of to the Weimar Republic.

[–] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 19 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I hope they all brought knives ala the Roman Senate...

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[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Maybe they're all getting a suprise ice cream party.

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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 14 points 3 days ago (6 children)

They are preparing the Military on the fight on Antifa.

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[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago

Well since we’re all here howabout a quick game of Frag the Drunk Nazi.

[–] vga@sopuli.xyz 13 points 3 days ago (4 children)

This is 100% wishful thinking, but perhaps they're taking Russia seriously.

Fuck, I couldn't even muster the cope to think this might be true.

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