Hegseth had better hope he has a well-crafted speech prepared, or he’s going to leave his subordinates feeling like he wasted their time.

The news earlier this week that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wanted nearly all the 800 or so American generals and admirals and their senior enlisted advisers to assemble in person next week in Quantico raised eyebrows. When the order came down, it wasn’t clear exactly what Hegseth wanted from the meeting or what its purpose was, which of course led to some ridiculous speculations. (Would there be a new loyalty oath to the president? Would Hegseth announce an invasion of Venezuela? Etc.)

Today, the Washington Post was first to report that “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered hundreds of generals to travel on short notice from around the world to hear him make a short speech on military standards and the ‘warrior ethos.’”

“It’s meant to be an eyeball-to-eyeball kind of conversation,” one official told the Post’s reporters. “He wants to see the generals.”

CNN’s Natasha Bertrand and Alayna Treene have a few more details:

The meeting is expected to resemble “a pep rally” where Hegseth will underscore the importance of the “warrior ethos” and outline a new vision for the US military, said three of the sources. He is expected to discuss new readiness, fitness and grooming standards the officers are expected to adhere to and enforce.

“It’s about getting the horses into the stable and whipping them into shape,” said a defense official familiar with the planning. “And the guys with the stars on their shoulders make for a better audience from an optics standpoint. This is a showcase for Hegseth to tell them: get on board, or potentially have your career shortened.”

Hegseth’s team is planning on recording his speech and releasing it publicly later, three of the sources said, and the White House is planning to amplify it, the White House official said.

Bertrand and Treene report that Hegseth is not set to make any “major national-security-related announcement.” So it’s a “pep rally” intended to emphasize a new vision for the way the Pentagon does business, and the secretary of defense “wants to see the generals.”

My own view is that there are good reasons that any leader would want to address his most senior staff in person when announcing a change of direction or philosophy. That’s not a scandal in and of itself. Of course, in the case of the secretary of defense and the Pentagon, “senior staff” means hundreds of very busy senior officers and sergeants major-types stationed all around the world, some of whom are responsible for defending American security interests at critical crisis points, which, yes, makes the directive unusual. But there’s no question that Hegseth has the right to ask to see all the general and flag officers serving under his command.

Will the whole thing be worthwhile? Well that will likely depend on what exactly Hegseth has to say, and how it’s received in the room. But as anyone who’s ever been summoned to an all-hands briefing in the military knows, these things are usually more “death by powerpoint” nightmares than General Patton. If he’s bringing all these people in simply to be props for his social media feed, well, that will be remembered. For his own sake and reputation, Hegseth had better hope he has a well-crafted speech prepared, or he’s going to leave his subordinates feeling that he wasted their time.