Pete Hegseth plans to slash one in five general and admiral roles, doubling earlier cuts and pushing authority closer to the battlefield ahead of his Wednesday address.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is preparing a major reduction in the military’s top ranks, with a department official telling the New York Post he will cut 20 percent of general and admiral positions. Fox News first reported the plan. Hegseth is expected to lay it out during his State of the Force address Wednesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
The move doubles the 10 percent cut he ordered last year and fits his stated goal of streamlining the force. Earlier this month he greenlit dramatic reductions in flag officer and general positions across the Air Force, Army, and Navy, with a target completion date of Jan. 1 next year.
Hegseth has already removed more than two dozen top officials during his tenure, drawing congressional scrutiny even as he presses ahead with readiness reforms. That record sits alongside recent impeachment articles filed against him in the House.
Last year he also ordered a 20 percent cut in National Guard general officers and active-duty four-star positions. He has framed every step as a way to put more power in the hands of troops nearer the fight.
In an address to the military last year, Hegseth rejected the idea that the reductions were personal payback.
He told the force:
"This is not a slash-and-burn exercise meant to punish high-ranking officers,"
He added:
"This has been a deliberative process, working with the Joint Chiefs of Staff with one goal: maximizing strategic readiness and operational effectiveness by making prudent reductions in the general and flag officer ranks."
His shorthand has stayed consistent: “less generals, more GIs.” The same message drives the new 20 percent target.
Congressional Research Service data showed 809 active-duty flag officers on Sept. 30, 2023, already below the legal ceiling of 857. The latest plan would shrink that leadership layer further.
Political pressure has not slowed the effort. House Democrats have already laid groundwork for possible impeachment if they regain the majority, yet the secretary continues to roll out force-structure changes.
Alongside the officer cuts, Hegseth has imposed new waist-to-height standards and revamped grooming rules. He has publicly criticized what he called “fat generals” and “beardos,” tying physical readiness to combat effectiveness.
The Quantico speech will also assess overall military readiness and set Pentagon priorities. Last year he summoned top brass to the same base for a rare large gathering, underscoring how he uses the venue to drive reform.
Even some Republicans have joined the criticism. Sen. Thom Tillis has said the Pentagon chief needs to go and backed replacement calls, yet the reductions keep moving on the timeline Hegseth set.
The deliberative process with the Joint Chiefs remains the stated method. Officials describe the cuts as carefully measured, not indiscriminate.
Similar reporting has already tracked the same 20 percent target for general and admiral posts, confirming the scale of the coming change at the top of the services.
Taxpayers fund a large senior officer corps. Hegseth’s bet is that fewer flag officers and more authority at lower levels will produce a sharper, faster force.
Wednesday’s address at Quantico will show how far he intends to push that bet before the January deadline.
Empty layers of command do not win wars. Putting decision-making closer to the troops who actually fight them is overdue common sense.
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