President Donald Trump will on Tuesday speak at a rare gathering of hundreds of senior US military officers summoned, without public explanation, from around the world to meet at a base near Washington. No official reason has been given for the highly unusual meeting at Quantico. Trump, who oversaw a rare purge of senior officers after taking office, has also ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and Tehran-backed Yemeni rebels. The US president hailed the meeting when asked about it last week, saying in the Oval Office: "I love it. The Pentagon has not given a public explanation for the session, with spokesman Sean Parnell only saying in a statement that Hegseth "will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week."