Quantico,โฃ VA – Aโ closed-door meeting convenedโ by Defense Secretaryโ Pete Hegseth atโฃ the Marine Corps baseโ in Quantico, Virginia, is projected to cost “millions ofโฃ dollars,” โฃaccording to defense analysts, and has prompted concernsโ about potential command vulnerabilities while numerousโ top military officials are โabsent from their posts.The gathering, which includes hundreds of senior military officers,โ coincides with a visit from former President donald Trump, further escalating logistical and security challenges.
The meeting’s purpose remains โคlargely undisclosed, โfueling speculationโ about itsโ focus and potential policy shiftsโฃ within the โDepartment of Defense. Experts note the unusual โขnature of requiring such a โคlarge assembly of high-ranking officers to attend โin โperson.
“Gaps in command worldwide are potentially โhazardous,” stated Mark โคCancian, a defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in a recent analysis. “Although there willโ be actingโ commanders still in place,โฃ the large number ofโ absentees might open a vulnerability.”
The financial โฃburden of the โevent is substantial. “That’s not going to beโ cheap,” said oneโข source familiar with the planning. Costs include lodging – potentially “five or โ10 rooms for a senior commander” – daily stipends for mealsโค and incidentals, and extensive security measures.
Trump’s presenceโค necessitates aโ important Secret Service detail, adding to the complexity of securing Quantico. The โincreased security protocolsโฃ are also causing disruptions to normalโค base operations. The National museum of the Marine Corps will be closed on September 30th, base libraries โคare shuttered, and students at the base’s elementary school have been given the day off.
“Security at Quantico will be a nightmare,” Cancian wrote. Local residents anticipate major traffic congestion on the interstate near the base and within the surrounding town,population 587.