As part of his efforts to slash the Pentagon’s bloated brass, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a 20% reduction in four-star generals and admirals.
Outlined in a memo, the move targets Washington’s military bureaucracy that has grown increasingly politicized while siphoning resources from combat readiness.
The memo calls for “removing redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership by reducing excess general and flag officer positions.”
Hegseth’s directive specifically targets the 37 four-star generals and admirals currently serving in the U.S. military.
The cuts will not stop there. His plan also mandates a 20% reduction in National Guard general officers and a 10% cut in total general and flag officers across all military branches.
This could potentially affect a significant portion of the roughly 900 top brass currently serving.
This decisive action fulfills President Donald Trump’s campaign promises to drain the swamp and eliminate wasteful government spending.
By streamlining top-heavy command structures, the Pentagon can redirect resources toward strengthening America’s fighting force rather than supporting redundant administrative positions.
The Defense Secretary has been outspoken about his concerns regarding military leadership’s drift away from warfighting excellence toward wokeism.
“I would say over a third are actively complicit, and then you have a lot of grumblers who are sort of going along, trying to resist the nonsense as much as they can, but they’re not fundamentally changing it,” he said.
“And so they’ll do any social justice, gender, climate, extremism crap because it gets them checked to the next level,” Hegseth added.
His efforts to clean house began immediately upon taking office, with the administration already having fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Navy chief as part of its broader mission to refocus the military on its core purpose.
Among the specific changes being considered is the consolidation of European Command and African Command, eliminating unnecessary duplication while maintaining operational effectiveness.
Such restructuring represents an approach that military reformers have advocated for years.
Hegseth has also requested nominations to replace the Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
These positions have a significant influence over military legal policies that impact service members’ rights and institutional culture.
For years, conservative critics have warned that top military leadership was becoming increasingly detached from the values and priorities of ordinary Americans.
Instead of focusing on battlefield readiness and national security, too many generals spent their time catering to Washington ideologues and promoting progressive social policies that did nothing to strengthen America’s defense capabilities.
The Pentagon’s trimming of excessive flag officers represents just one part of the administration’s broader effort to shrink the federal government, cut wasteful spending, and return power to the American people.
As the military refocuses on its core mission of defending the nation rather than advancing social justice initiatives, many across the country see the change they voted for becoming a reality.
