Hegseth orders US military to cut general and admiral posts by 20%

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the military services to reduce the number of general and admiral positions by 20% by January 1, 2027. Hegseth announced the measure during a “State of the Force” address to junior officers and enlisted leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. He said the new reduction would double a 10% cut ordered in the spring and would affect roughly 800 flag and general officer positions.

The order could include any one-star general or an officer of equivalent Navy rank. The number of general officer positions is set by law, but positions can remain vacant if replacements are not submitted to Congress, according to the report. Hegseth described the reduction as accountability and a long-overdue change.

The Pentagon had previously previewed the planned cuts, while critics in Congress described them as a purge of the military’s senior ranks. Senator Mike Rounds, a Republican member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he wanted to understand the reasoning. He said reducing an overly large senior structure might have merit, but that he wanted to examine the decision first.

Democratic Senator Mark Kelly accused Hegseth of removing experienced leaders and said rebuilding the ranks could take a generation. Hegseth also announced a new four-star command to oversee autonomous and robotic capabilities. He called the development the fastest peacetime shift in modern military history, amid growing reliance on uncrewed systems in combat.

The announcement followed an earlier decision involving a European-based Army unit that had specialised in drone warfare and was directed to return to a traditional infantry role. Lawmakers had asked the Army to explain that order. The latest cuts come as the United States remains engaged in a war with Iran and has used missile interceptors against Iranian missile and drone attacks.

Hegseth also cited defence-industry investment and efforts to expand weapons production, while experts said replenishing key stockpiles could take at least three years.