STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
It is very rare for the Pentagon to summon its top commanders from around the world into one room.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
But that's what's happening next week. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the gathering in Virginia, but the Pentagon is not saying why or what he plans to announce.
INSKEEP: NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman is covering this, of course. Tom, good morning.
TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Hey, Steve.
INSKEEP: How much do you know?
BOWMAN: Well, again, not too much. We're talking hundreds of generals and admirals who will meet on Tuesday at Marine Base Quantico just outside Washington. The Washington Post was the first to report on this meeting. In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, quote, "the secretary of war will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week." And he was using the term secretary of war, which both President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth prefer, instead of defense secretary.
INSKEEP: Have you heard of a meeting like this ever in your decades covering the Pentagon?
BOWMAN: No, absolutely not. This is - on this scale, never. At times, you know, they'll bring in combatant commanders - those who oversee military operations around the world - bring them to the Pentagon for annual meetings. But this is far different in the numbers. Now, Secretary Hegseth has talked about reducing the number of admirals and generals - who stand at more than 800 - reducing that number by 20%. And he talked about that during his confirmation hearing and also put out a video statement back in May once again referring to this. Let's listen.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PETE HEGSETH: We're back with more DOD reforms. This one is general and flag officer reductions. That's the official title. My title is less generals, more GIs. It's a historic one, and it's in keeping with President Trump's commitment to achieving peace through strength. We're going to shift resources from bloated headquarters elements to our war fighters.
BOWMAN: So again, Steve, that could be the reason for this meaning. Again, we just don't know for sure.
INSKEEP: And I guess, as you try to figure out what's going on, covering this as a citizen for your fellow citizens, you have to deal with a new Pentagon media policy. What is it?
BOWMAN: Well, it says reporters must pledge not to report on classified or even unclassified material until something is released by the Pentagon. And if you don't agree to this, you'll lose your press pass, and you can't report from the Pentagon. But get this - also, you'll be barred from any U.S. military base around the world. Well, as you know, Steve, our job is not to be stenographers. The Pentagon has public affairs people and service members who write news stories. What we do is find out what's going on behind the scenes. What are the policies? Are they working? What weapons are you buying? Are you wasting money involved in illegal activity? Our job is to be watchdogs for government.
INSKEEP: Yeah, not in a formal position, except that you're a citizen. So you're supposed to act as a citizen and find out what's going on. How do those rules affect reporting?
BOWMAN: Well, there was a time you could roam around the Pentagon, maybe run into admirals or generals and get a better sense of what's going on. I remember after Baghdad fell during the Iraq War, Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld talked about this success in a briefing. I was walking down the hall right after that and ran into this Army officer I know. And I said, hey, good news, right? He said, no, Tom, this is not a success. Saddam Hussein's supporters are hitting our supply lines. We have to send troops back to protect them because we never sent enough troops in. That was the decision by Rumsfeld. That was an important development. Now, Steve, I'm not allowed to walk down that hallway.
INSKEEP: The kind of information the government no longer wants us to know. Tom, thanks so much.
BOWMAN: You're welcome.
INSKEEP: NPR's Tom Bowman. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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