Pentagon Plans 20% Cut to Top Brass

PHOTO CAPTION: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth meets with Adm. Rich Correll, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, on Aug. 24, 2026. The Pentagon is moving to reduce the number of general and admiral billets across the military. U.S. Air Force photo by Zachary Hada.

The Pentagon is preparing to cut the number of military positions reserved for generals and admirals by 20%, doubling the broader reduction target announced last year.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to publicly announce the new target Wednesday during a State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
But according to reporting from Fox News and Reuters, the plans are already further along than a proposed announcement.
Hegseth approved reduction plans for the Army, Navy, Air Force and the military's joint pool earlier this month, according to internal memorandums reviewed by Fox News. The services have been directed to implement the changes and complete the reductions by Jan. 1, 2027.
The new target calls for a 20% reduction in positions designated for general and flag officers across the military.
That does not mean the Pentagon plans to remove 20% of all generals and admirals currently serving.
The reductions apply to billets, or jobs designated to be filled by senior officers.
Some positions are expected to be eliminated, while others will be downgraded so they can be filled by lower ranking officers.
A Sept. 16 memorandum concerning the military's joint pool directed officials to establish O-6 requirements for selected positions that are being downgraded. That would allow Army, Air Force and Marine Corps colonels, as well as Navy captains, to fill jobs previously designated for general or flag officers.
The latest move expands an effort Hegseth began in May 2025.
At that time, he directed a minimum 20% reduction in active duty four star positions, a minimum 20% reduction in National Guard general officers and a broader 10% reduction in general and flag officer positions as part of military command restructuring.
The new 20% target effectively doubles that broader reduction goal.
Hegseth has said the purpose of reducing senior officer positions is to remove unnecessary layers of headquarters bureaucracy and move more authority closer to operational units.
When he announced the earlier reductions, Hegseth said the effort was not intended as punishment for senior officers and described it as an attempt to improve military readiness and operational effectiveness.
The changes are part of a wider overhaul of the military's senior leadership structure.
The Pentagon has also begun changing how officers are evaluated for promotion to general and admiral. Beginning with the fiscal year 2027 promotion cycle, officers competing for promotion to one star are expected to undergo new warfighting evaluations designed to test operational planning, decision making and leadership.
The Pentagon has not yet publicly released a full list showing which general and admiral positions will disappear and which will be downgraded.
More details are expected when Hegseth delivers his State of the Force address Wednesday at Quantico.
Fox reports that the Army, Navy, Air Force and joint pool reduction plans have already been approved and are supposed to be completed by Jan. 1, 2027. Fox News Reuters independently reports that Hegseth is preparing to announce a 20% reduction in general and admiral positions, expanding the 10% target established last year. Reuters The original May 2025 Pentagon directive called for 20% cuts to active duty four star positions and National Guard generals, plus a broader 10% reduction in general and flag officers.