Hegseth orders ‘historic’ reduction in general officers in the military

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced connected Monday that the U.S. military volition soon beryllium seeing a melodramatic simplification successful the fig of wide officers crossed each branches. 

He called the simplification a "historic" determination to fulfill President Donald Trump’s committedness to "achieving bid done strength." 

"We’re going to displacement resources from bloated office elements to our warfighters," said Hegseth. 

According to Hegseth, determination are presently 44 4-star and emblem officers crossed the military, making for a ratio of 1 wide to 1,400 troops, compared to the ratio during World War II of 1 wide to 6,000 troops. 

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The Defense caput released his memo Monday afternoon. (X / @SecDef)

Hegseth, who has pledged to alteration the subject into a "leaner, much lethal force," issued a memo to elder Pentagon personnel connected Monday successful which helium ordered the reductions to beryllium carried retired successful 2 phases. 

In the archetypal phase, Hegseth ordered a "minimum" 20 percent simplification of four-star generals and emblem officers successful the active-duty constituent arsenic good arsenic a 20 percent simplification successful the National Guard. 

In signifier two, the caput is ordering an further 10 percent simplification successful wide and emblem officers crossed the military. 

The caput called the reductions portion of his "less generals, much GIs policy." 

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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, on with Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner, salute the troops upon arriving astatine the AFP office Camp Aguinaldo, successful Quezon City, Philippines, Friday, March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerard V. Carreon)

In a video announcing the change, helium said the reductions volition beryllium done "carefully, but its going to beryllium done expeditiously." 

He noted that "this is not a slash and pain workout meant to punish high-ranking officers" but alternatively a "deliberative process, moving with the associated chiefs with 1 goal: maximizing strategical readiness and operational effectiveness by making prudent reductions." 

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"We got to beryllium thin and mean. And successful this case, it means wide serviceman reductions," said Hegseth. 

Congress sets the fig of wide officers allowed successful the military. The full fig of active-duty wide oregon emblem officers is capped astatine 219 for the Army, 150 for the Navy, 171 for the Air Force, 64 for the Marine Corps, and 21 for the Space Force.