Hegseth plans 20% cut to general and admiral positions

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to cut by 20% the number of U.S. military positions reserved for generals and admirals, expanding an earlier effort to reduce the armed forces’ senior ranks. He is expected to announce the plan Wednesday in an address to junior officers and enlisted personnel at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.

The cuts would affect positions across the one- to four-star ranks, not necessarily require the immediate dismissal of officers who hold them. Al Jazeera, citing an Associated Press report based on Pentagon officials, said the plan would double a previously ordered 10% reduction and bring the total decrease to 20% by January 1, 2027. The report said it would affect a pool of roughly 800 general and admiral positions. An official told Reuters that some roles would disappear while others would go to lower-ranking officers.

In May 2025, Hegseth ordered a minimum 10% reduction in general and flag officers, along with a 20% reduction in National Guard general officers. In a memo posted on the Defense Department’s website, he said the changes were needed to “drive innovation and operational excellence.” He called for removing “unnecessary bureaucratic layers” and reducing excess senior positions.

Congress sets a limit on the number of generals and admirals. CBS News reported that a Defense Department tally counted 851 active-duty generals and admirals across the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force as of July, up from 848 a year earlier. The legal cap is 857. Al Jazeera cited a Congressional Research Service report that recorded 848 active-duty officers in September 2025. The figures describe different points in time.

The proposed reduction follows a series of departures from the military’s highest ranks. CBS News reported that at least 20 generals, admirals and civilian military leaders had been fired or had resigned since Hegseth became defense secretary. Al Jazeera put the number of military leaders fired or pushed into retirement by President Donald Trump and Hegseth since January 2025 at more than two dozen. Those removed include former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. CQ Brown, former Army chief Gen. Randy George and former chief of naval operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti.

The case for fewer senior officers is contested. A Congressional Research Service report cited by CBS News described arguments that too many top-ranking officers can slow decisions and add bureaucracy, while others say senior leaders are needed to manage military coalitions, technological change and a complex Defense Department. Walter Ladwig, a King’s College London political scientist, told Al Jazeera that the force had shrunk since the Cold War without a corresponding reduction in flag officers.

Critics question whether the cuts are driven by efficiency alone. Robert Ralston, a University of Birmingham lecturer, told Al Jazeera that he believes politics is driving decisions about senior ranks. Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona told reporters Tuesday that Hegseth was removing leaders with decades of experience. “We need strong leaders,” Kelly said. Ladwig cautioned against treating every proposed cut as a power struggle, but warned that officers might become less willing to offer candid advice if they believed political alignment determined their careers.