Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military to cut the number of their highest-ranking officers — four-star generals and admirals — by at least 20%.
In a memo released Monday, Hegseth argued that senior leaders should be “unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder their growth and effectiveness” and “a critical step in this process is removing redundant force structure.”
In addition to ordering the firing of a minimum of 20% of four-star positions on active duty, the memo also orders a similar reduction in the National Guard and at least a 10% cut across all generals and admirals in the military.
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Most of the military’s four-star officers occupy top leadership positions within their respective services or oversee combatant commands across the world, and there are currently less than 40 on active duty, meaning that a 20% reduction would mean seven or eight cut positions.
Meanwhile, there are currently about 900 general and flag officers of all ranks in the military, meaning that the memo would result in around 90 cut jobs.
It is not clear from the memo whether these cuts would come by attrition — meaning simply not replacing officers once they retire — or firings. It is also not clear how any firings would be received by Congress, which authorizes the positions Hegseth now seems aimed at cutting.
Hegseth’s office was not able to clarify those issues when reached by Military.com on Monday. An official said “all we have on this is the memo for now.”
In a video released on Monday evening, Hegseth argued that during World War II, the military had “a ratio of one general to 6,000 troops; today, it’s one general to 1,400.”
“More generals and admirals does not equal more success,” Hegseth argued, noting the move “is not a slash-and-burn exercise meant to punish high-ranking officers.”
However, Hegseth has not been shy about his desire to fire top officers even before he took office.
CNN reported that in June 2023, Hegseth told radio host Hugh Hewitt that he thought around a third of the military’s most senior officers are “actively complicit” in the politicization of the U.S. military.
Then, in a November appearance on a show hosted by Shawn Ryan, a former Navy SEAL, Hegseth argued that “first of all, you’ve got to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and you’ve got to fire – I mean obviously you’ve got to bring in a new secretary of defense, but any general that was involved — general, admiral, whatever — that was involved in any of the DEI woke shit has got to go.”
In the days after the election, The Associated Press reported there was a list compiled by the American Accountability Foundation, a conservative-backed group, that featured 20 general officers or senior admirals — including a disproportionate number of female officers — that they urged the Trump administration to fire.
Once he got into office, Hegseth started to make good on the promises.
In late February, he fired Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s first female chief, leaving the military without a single woman in a four-star general or admiral leadership position. He also fired the Air Force’s second-highest officer, Gen. James Slife, as well as the judge advocates general of the Army, Navy and Air Force, who oversee the military justice system.
At the same time, President Donald Trump fired the Joint Chiefs chairman, Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown.
Hegseth went on to fire a three-star general, Air Force Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short, who was appointed by former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to act as the senior military assistant to the secretary. The role is typically seen as nonpartisan, and retaining a prior secretary’s aide is a way to ensure a smooth transition of administrations.
Throughout all the firings, Hegseth and his office have not offered any meaningful explanation as to why any of the officers were slated for relief.
In the past, some lawmakers in both parties have agreed the military is too top heavy. But it’s unclear how Hegseth’s effort will be received, particularly by Democrats when it comes against the backdrop of Hegseth and other Trump administration officials vowing to rid the military of “woke” officers.
— Rebecca Kheel contributed to this story.
Related: Hegseth Works Hard to Portray Himself as a Man of the Troops. They Might Not Be Buying It.
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