Trump confirmed to reporters in the Oval Office that the highly unusual meeting would take place, saying: "I love it. I mean, I think it's great."

"Let him be friendly with the generals and admirals from all over the world," the president said.

Vice President JD Vance also downplayed the significance of the meeting, telling reporters that it was "actually not unusual at all," and saying "it's odd that you guys have made it into such a big story."

Neither official confirmed the purpose of the gathering of top military brass.

The Pentagon likewise did not provide an explanation, with spokesman Sean Parnell only saying in a statement that Hegseth "will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week."

In May, Hegseth ordered major cuts to the number of general and flag officers in the US military, but it was unclear if the meeting is related to that directive.

The Pentagon has seen a series of major shakeups this year under President Donald Trump's administration, which has fired several of the country's most senior officers, usually without providing an explanation.