US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a 20 per cent reduction in general and admiral positions across the US military, describing the move as a long-overdue effort to improve accountability and streamline the Pentagon’s senior leadership.
Hegseth made the announcement on Wednesday during his “State of the Force” address to junior officers and enlisted leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
The new measure doubles a 10 per cent reduction in general and flag officer positions ordered by Hegseth last year and is expected to be completed by January 1, 2027.
Rather than simply dismissing one-fifth of serving generals and admirals, the plan will involve restructuring senior positions, with some billets expected to be downgraded to lower ranks and others eliminated.
“The media calls that a purge. I call it accountability, and long overdue,” Hegseth said during the address.
He said officers who had responded positively to his previous call for a major transformation of the military were now leading “newly focused” formations, while those who did not support the direction of the Pentagon “no longer work here.”
The announcement marks another stage in Hegseth’s campaign to reduce what he regards as unnecessary bureaucracy within the US military and redirect resources towards combat readiness.
In May 2025, he ordered a minimum 20 per cent reduction in four-star positions across the active-duty force, a similar reduction among National Guard general officers and an additional minimum 10 per cent reduction in general and flag officer positions as part of a restructuring of the military’s command structure.
Hegseth has repeatedly argued that the Pentagon’s senior ranks are too heavily weighted towards bureaucracy. During his confirmation process, he said resources should be moved away from administrative structures and towards military capability.
The latest figures illustrate the scale of the challenge. Pentagon data showed 851 active-duty generals and admirals in July 2026, compared with a statutory ceiling of 857 positions.
That means the latest announcement is principally a restructuring of the positions available to senior officers. Some existing jobs could be converted to lower-ranking commands, while others could disappear entirely.
The administration’s broader overhaul has already resulted in significant changes among the military’s senior leadership.
President Donald Trump and Hegseth have fired or pushed more than two dozen senior military leaders to retire since the administration took office, including former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown and former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti.
Hegseth has defended the changes as part of President Trump’s effort to reshape the military around what he describes as warfighting, readiness and a stronger “warrior ethos.”
Critics in Congress have raised questions about the pace of the leadership changes and their potential effect on command continuity.
Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has repeatedly called for greater transparency over senior officer removals and promotion decisions, arguing that major changes to military leadership should be explained to Congress.
Hegseth, however, has maintained that the restructuring is designed to remove unnecessary layers of command and make the military more focused on its core mission.
The Pentagon is now expected to implement the latest reductions across the services ahead of the January 2027 deadline.
