Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to announce he will cut the number of top military leadership positions by as much as 20 percent, doubling previously planned cuts, U.S. media reported.
The reduction in positions for generals and admirals is set to be announced during his State of the Force address on Wednesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
The move could affect “hundreds of current and rising military leaders following scores of firings and denied promotions,” according to U.S. media.
The move is part of a broader series of firings and leadership changes since Hegseth took office at the start of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term. Despite the U.S. being at war with Iran since the end of February, Hegseth forced Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to retire in April. Just days before the war began, two members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chairman Gen. Charles Brown Jr. and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, were both removed. Other senior military officers have since retired or left their posts, while Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a civilian official, resigned in August after repeated clashes with Hegseth.
The planned cuts would deepen Hegseth’s restructuring of the Pentagon’s senior ranks, shifting the effort from individual leadership removals toward a broader reduction in the military command structure. The administration presents the changes as an attempt to eliminate redundant positions and streamline decision-making, while critics have questioned whether repeated removals could disrupt leadership continuity. The timing adds significance as the U.S. military remains engaged in the Iran war: reducing or downgrading senior positions could produce a leaner command structure, but its effect will ultimately depend on which roles disappear, how responsibilities are redistributed, and whether the changes improve decision-making without creating command or experience gaps. (AFP+EIR)
