US: Hegseth Set to Cut Generals, Admirals by 20%

By Staff, Agencies 

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to announce a 20% reduction in the number of generals and admirals across the US military on Wednesday, September 30, according to a Pentagon official cited by CBS News.

The announcement is expected during a rare address to military officers at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, marking another stage in Hegseth's effort to reshape the upper levels of the US military command structure.

The planned reduction follows measures Hegseth ordered in May 2025, when he directed a minimum 20% reduction in four-star positions across the active component, a 20% reduction in National Guard general officers, and an additional 10% reduction in general and flag officer positions linked to a planned realignment of the Unified Command Plan.

Hegseth has justified the restructuring as necessary to reduce what he claimed to be unnecessary bureaucratic layers within the Pentagon.

In his May 2025 memorandum, he argued that the US military must be "unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder their growth and effectiveness." He said removing redundant force structures would "optimize and streamline leadership by reducing excess general and flag officer positions."

The issue is significant because general and flag officers occupy positions extending from service-level commands to the Joint Staff and US combatant commands responsible for military operations across different regions of the world.

A Congressional Research Service report noted that the proportion of general and flag officers relative to the overall US military force has increased over the past five decades.

At the same time, the report identifies competing explanations, with critics arguing that a larger senior-officer structure can contribute to bureaucratic decision-making, while proponents point to the demands of joint operations, coalition warfare, sophisticated weapons systems, and increasingly complex management responsibilities.

The proposed cuts therefore extend beyond a personnel reduction. They form part of a broader attempt by the Trump administration to reorganize the US military's command architecture.

In 2025, Hegseth directed the Army to pursue a "leaner, more lethal force," including restructuring headquarters and reducing general officer positions. The Pentagon linked the changes to a wider effort to redirect resources toward areas including long-range precision fires, air and missile military, cyber capabilities, electronic warfare, and counter-space operations.

Hegseth has also described the restructuring of combatant commands as potentially one of the most extensive reorganizations since the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols military reorganization.

The implications extend across Washington's global military posture. Senior officers are responsible not only for US forces but also for coordinating with allied militaries, managing multinational operations and overseeing military commitments spanning multiple theaters.

The planned cuts come after substantial turnover among senior US military and civilian military officials.

At least 20 generals, admirals, and civilian military leaders have been fired, forced out, or resigned since Hegseth became war secretary. The departures have included the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Army, Navy and Air Force's highest-ranking uniformed officials.