U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Monday ordered a reduction of at least 20% of four-star generals and admirals in the U.S. armed forces, according to a memo to senior Pentagon leadership, UNN reports, citing CBS News.
Details
He also ordered a reduction of at least 20% of U.S. National Guard generals and 10% of all flag officers and generals.
In a one-page memo posted on the U.S. Department of Defense website, Hegseth said that to "stimulate innovation and operational excellence, the military must be "unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder their growth and effectiveness," and part of achieving this is to "eliminate redundant force structure to optimize and streamline positions."
Hegseth announced the memo in a video on X, promising, "We're going to reallocate resources from bloated staff units to our fighters."
He did not name a timeline for the cuts, but said they would be carried out "with urgency."
Addendum
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, as of March 31, 2025, there were 38 four-star generals or admirals (the highest military rank of senior officers in the U.S. armed forces in peacetime).
Hegseth has raised questions about the number of senior military officers in the past. "We won World War II with seven four-star generals. Today we have 44 of them," Hegseth said at a meeting at the Pentagon in February.