Pete Hegseth is pushing for a reduction of 20 percent in the number of active duty military four-star generals as part of efforts to decrease government expenditure, aligned with Donald Trump’s agenda.
Hegseth has also instructed the National Guard to downsize by 20 percent in terms of its top leadership positions. Additionally, he has mandated a further 10 percent reduction in general and flag officers throughout the military, potentially affecting officers of the rank of one-star or higher, or their equivalent in the Navy.
These cutbacks come in the wake of the dismissal of over six top general officers by President Trump and Hegseth since the beginning of the year. Among those relieved of their duties is General CQ Brown Jr., who served as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
They also have fired the only two women serving as four-star officers, as well as a disproportionate number of other senior female officers.
In the earlier rounds of firing, Hegseth said the eliminations were ‘a reflection of the president wanting the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take.’
As Pentagon chief, Hegseth has touted his efforts to root out any programming or leadership that endorses diversity in the ranks, tried to terminate transgender service members and begun sweeping changes to enforce a uniform fitness standard for combat positions.
In a memo announcing the cuts Monday, Hegseth said they would remove ‘redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership.’ He said the aim was to free the military from ‘unnecessary bureaucratic layers.’
Adding to the turmoil in the Pentagon, Hegseth in recent weeks has dismissed or transferred multiple close advisers, tightly narrowing his inner circle.
Pete Hegseth has demanded that the active duty military cut 20 percent of its four-star generals in a further move toward Donald Trump’s mandate to cut government waste
The cuts are on top of more than a half-dozen top general officers that President Donald Trump or Hegseth have fired since January
He also has been facing questions from both Democrats and Republicans about his handling of sensitive information and use of the Signal messaging app.
There are about 800 general officers in the military, but only 44 of those are four-star general or flag officers.
The Army has the largest number of general officers, with 219, including eight four-star generals.
The number of general officer positions in the military is set by law.
Members of Congress were not provided with the advance notification they normally would receive on the cuts but were given a ‘very brief alert’ this afternoon, according to a congressional staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not made public.
The cuts were first reported by CNN.
The Pentagon is under pressure to slash spending and personnel as part of the broader federal government cuts pushed by Trump and ally Elon Musk´s Department of Government Efficiency.
Hegseth last week ordered a sweeping transformation of the Army, including merging or closing headquarters, dumping outdated vehicles and aircraft, slashing as many as 1,000 headquarters staff in the Pentagon and shifting personnel to units in the field.
The firings at the Pentagon have included the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown Jr
The Pentagon is under pressure to slash spending and personnel as part of the broader federal government cuts pushed by Trump and ally Elon Musk´s Department of Government Efficiency
In a memo released Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the transformation to ‘build a leaner, more lethal force.’ Discussions about the changes have been going on for weeks, including decisions to combine a number of Army commands.
Col. Dave Butler, an Army spokesman, said the potential savings over five years would be nearly $40 billion.
U.S. officials said as many as 40 general officer slots could be cut as a result of the restructuring. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues.
The changes come as the Pentagon is under pressure to slash spending and personnel as part of the broader federal government cuts pushed by President Donald Trump’s administration and ally Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
In his memo, Hegseth said the Army must eliminate wasteful spending and prioritize improvements to air and missile defense, long-range fires, cyber, electronic warfare and counter-space capabilities.
Specifically, he said the Army must merge Army Futures Command and Training and Doctrine Command into one entity and merge Forces Command, Army North and Army South into a single headquarters ‘focused on homeland defense and partnership with our Western Hemisphere allies.’
In addition, he called for the Army to consolidate units, including Joint Munitions Command and Sustainment Command, as well as operations at various depots and arsenals.
Officials said that while the mergers will result in fewer staff positions, there won’t be a decrease in the Army’s overall size. Instead, soldiers would be shifted to other posts.
Also last week the Army confirmed that there will be a military parade on Trump´s birthday in June, as part of the celebration around the service´s 250th birthday. Officials say it will cost tens of millions of dollars.
