US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth may announce a plan to cut the number of general and admiral positions by 20 percent. This new plan doubles the scale of the reduction he had previously proposed last year. US media reported this information on Tuesday. Citing two US officials, Reuters reported that Hegseth might announce these cuts during a speech on Wednesday at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, addressing hundreds of junior officers and enlisted military personnel. The planned reductions would apply to one- to four-star general and admiral ranks; however, the officers would not be dismissed immediately. An official told Reuters that, in the future, some positions would be downgraded to lower ranks, while others would be eliminated entirely. This move would deepen Hegseth’s reform efforts within the Pentagon’s top leadership. Last year, he had ordered a 20 percent reduction in four-star general and admiral positions.
At the same time, he had announced plans to cut general and flag officer positions by at least 10 percent. Since becoming Secretary of Defense, Hegseth has removed several top military commanders. Among them is Army Chief of Staff General Randy George, who was removed in April. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Brown Jr. and Navy Admiral Lisa Franchetti were also removed from their posts on February 28—shortly before the outbreak of war with Iran. Several other top Pentagon officials have also stepped down. Among them is Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who resigned in early September following months of tension with Hegseth. Subsequently, President Donald Trump appointed Adam Telle as the Acting Secretary of the Army. Plans for these new cutbacks have emerged while the United States is engaged in an ongoing conflict involving Iran. The Pentagon has also faced scrutiny regarding damage to U.S. bases and the depletion of weapons stockpiles during the conflict. This new announcement follows a speech Hegseth delivered last year at Quantico, in which he criticized “fat generals” and various diversity initiatives, while also advocating for the removal of top military officials. Reuters reported that Hegseth told military leaders that anyone dissatisfied with his approach should resign.
