Pete Hegseth plans to announce a 20% reduction in the number of positions reserved for generals and admirals, according to reports Tuesday from Fox News (opens in new tab) Digital and The Hill (opens in new tab). The plan has so far been reported by those two outlets: Fox News (opens in new tab), which cited memos it had seen and a War Department source, and The Hill (opens in new tab), which said two Pentagon officials confirmed the plan. Fox News (opens in new tab) said Hegseth will unveil the cuts in his State of the Force address on Wednesday in Quantico, Virginia. Fox News (opens in new tab) identified Hegseth as war secretary and The Hill (opens in new tab) as defense secretary.
According to memos seen by Fox News (opens in new tab) Digital, Hegseth signed off on reduction plans earlier this month for the Army, Navy, Air Force and the military’s joint pool, and directed the services to carry them out and complete the reductions by Jan. 1, 2027. The Hill (opens in new tab) reported that two Pentagon officials confirmed Hegseth is set to announce a 20 percent cut to slots for admirals and generals as part of his push to overhaul the department. The Hill (opens in new tab) credited Fox News (opens in new tab) Digital with first reporting the plan.
Fox News (opens in new tab) reported that the new target doubles the 10% overall cut in general and flag officer positions that Hegseth ordered last year. That earlier directive also called for a 20% reduction in active-duty four-star positions and a 20% reduction in National Guard general officers, according to Fox News (opens in new tab). The Hill (opens in new tab)’s account of last year’s order differs, describing a cut of at least 10 percent in active-duty four-star generals and admirals.
The reductions apply to billets, the positions designated for generals and admirals, rather than an across-the-board removal of 20% of the officers now serving in those ranks, a War Department source told Fox News (opens in new tab) Digital. At least some positions will be downgraded rather than eliminated, Fox News (opens in new tab) reported: in a Sept. 16 memo on the joint pool, Hegseth directed officials to set O-6 requirements for positions identified for downgrade, so that colonels and Navy captains could fill them.
Hegseth has called the effort “less generals, more GIs,” arguing that cutting senior headquarters positions would push resources and authority toward troops closer to the fight, according to Fox News (opens in new tab). When he announced the earlier reductions in May 2025, Hegseth said, “This is not a slash-and-burn exercise meant to punish high-ranking officers,” Fox News (opens in new tab) reported.
Wednesday’s address comes a year after Hegseth summoned hundreds of generals and admirals from around the world to Quantico and told those who did not support his reforms to step aside, Fox News (opens in new tab) reported. The outlet said the address is expected to lay out his priorities for the military in the year ahead. The Fox News (opens in new tab) report did not include reaction from lawmakers or outside critics. The Hill (opens in new tab) reported that Hegseth has fired or pushed out more than two dozen military leaders since taking office, moves that have unnerved lawmakers in both parties. In July, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said she was concerned by the removal of senior officers and the blocking of promotions for lower-ranked personnel. “I find this deeply troubling,” Collins said at a hearing, according to The Hill (opens in new tab).