United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will cut the number of positions reserved for generals and admirals by 20 percent, a Pentagon official told Al Jazeera, in a change that will affect leadership across the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Hegseth is expected to announce the decision on Wednesday during a visit to the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, where he will deliver his “State of the Force” address in front of junior officers and enlisted officials, the official said.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Why has the Trump administration ordered staff to take polygraph tests?
- list 2 of 3Republican congressman calls to impeach US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth
- list 3 of 3Pentagon resumes mandatory testosterone testing for US troops over 30
The Reuters news agency, citing officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported that Hegseth would say he plans to cut the billets for general and flag officers, who hold one to four stars, by 20 percent.
That is up from the minimum 10 percent cut he laid out last year.
The cuts could affect the careers of “hundreds of current and rising military leaders following scores of firings and denied promotions”, The Washington Post reported.
US President Donald Trump or Hegseth have fired, or pushed into retirement, more than two dozen military leaders since taking office in January 2025, including the Army’s top uniformed officer, General Randy George, in April.
The administration also fired the only two women serving as four-star officers, along with several other senior female officers. Other top officials have left through retirements and resignations, including the Army secretary, Dan Driscoll, who resigned this month after repeated clashes with Hegseth.
When the defence secretary first announced the effort to trim the highest levels of the military ranks, he argued it was intended to remove “redundant force structure to optimise and streamline leadership”. And in a memo released in May 2025, he added that his aim was to free the military from “unnecessary bureaucratic layers”.
At this time last year, Hegseth also declared an end to “woke” culture and announced new directives for troops that included “gender-neutral” or “male-level” standards for physical fitness.
Senator Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed concern over Hegseth’s latest move in a statement. He said eliminating senior leadership positions must be done in consultation with Congress and warned that the planned cuts “should alarm every American”.
“Congress has been clear with the Secretary that he must consult this body and explain his reasoning for senior officer removals and promotion holds. To date, we have not received satisfactory answers,” Reed said.
“Our military is conducting major operations around the world, and the force is already under strain,” he added.
The number of general officer positions is set by law, but positions can be left unfilled if the administration does not submit nominees to Congress.
