Pentagon braces for major shake-up as Hegseth cuts 20% of general and admiral positions
Photo: The Pentagon (Wikimedia by Touch Of Light)
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is preparing another major cut in senior positions in the US Armed Forces. The move will affect generals and admirals, according to Reuters.
Cuts to senior positions
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to announce a 20% reduction in the number of authorized positions for generals and admirals.
Hegseth is expected to address hundreds of junior officers and enlisted service members in Quantico, Virginia, on Wednesday. During the event, he is expected to outline his priorities for the armed forces.
According to sources, the new cut will be twice as large as the minimum 10% reduction the secretary had previously planned.
However, the move will not necessarily involve dismissals. Some service members may have their ranks changed, while some positions are expected to be eliminated entirely.
What is changing at the Pentagon
The Pentagon also published a memorandum the day before stating that the Department of Defense will no longer appoint civilian specialists to permanent teaching positions at US military academies. The document explains the decision as necessary to refocus the academies on "warfighting."
After taking office, Hegseth began restructuring the department's operations, including personnel decisions involving senior officers across the armed services.
What Hegseth said
This year's speech in Quantico will take place a year after the secretary's previous visit. At the time, Hegseth criticized "fat generals" and diversity initiatives.
He also defended decisions to remove senior military officers, including the highest-ranking US general, who was African American, and the highest-ranking female Navy admiral. According to Hegseth, the dismissed officers represented a "corrupt culture."
As a reminder, the Pentagon recently closed public access to reports on US weapons testing over the past decade, citing concerns that US adversaries could use the published information to develop new technologies using artificial intelligence.
