Pete Hegseth just ordered something that would make any military historian’s blood run cold: every American general and admiral must abandon their posts and gather in one room. The last time a nation’s military leadership was summoned like this, it didn’t end well for democracy.
Tuesday, September 30th, Quantico, Virginia. The entire command structure of the United States military will be concentrated in a single location. No agenda. No explanation. Just an order from a Fox News drunk turned Defense Secretary to show up or face the consequences.
The parallels to 1938 Berlin are unmistakable.
The Blomberg-Fritsch Blueprint
Hitler didn’t capture the German military in one dramatic purge. He did it through manufactured crises and strategic meetings that forced officers to choose: comply or vanish.
The Blomberg-Fritsch Affair began with scandal—War Minister Blomberg’s wife was revealed to have a criminal past. Army Commander Fritsch was framed with fabricated homosexuality charges. Both resigned. But the real masterstroke came next: Hitler summoned the remaining generals to the Reich Chancellery. In one afternoon, he retired sixteen generals, transferred forty-four others, and personally assumed command of the armed forces.
Those who stayed got a choice: swear a personal oath to Hitler or lose everything.
Sound familiar? Hegseth has already fired the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Coast Guard Commandant, the Navy’s top officer, and multiple female commanders. He’s mandated a 20% reduction in military leadership. Now he’s gathering the survivors in one room during a government shutdown when Congress can’t intervene.
The Geography of Vulnerability
Military doctrine distributes leadership for a reason. You never put all your commanders in one place—it’s the most basic principle of continuity of command. Pearl Harbor taught us this. The Pentagon’s design reflects it. Even corporate boards don’t travel together.
Yet Hegseth is pulling generals from South Korea while North Korea watches. From Eastern Europe while Russia masses troops. From the Pacific while China conducts exercises. Every potential adversary will know exactly when American military leadership is completely absent from their positions.
Unless that’s the point.
Hitler’s February 1938 meeting worked because he controlled the room. No outside communication. No dissent. Sign the loyalty oath or be escorted out. By sunset, the Wehrmacht belonged to the Führer, not Germany.
Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Narativ with Zev Shalev to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
