Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) convention on Wednesday, where he advocated for a $1.5 trillion defense budget and defended a 20 percent reduction in senior military leadership. During the hour-long panel in Washington, D.C., Hegseth also detailed plans to establish a new four-star combatant command dedicated to autonomous warfare.
The remarks come amid a leadership transition within the Army, following the recent departure of Army Secretary Driscoll and the ouster of Gen. Randy George. Hegseth, a former Army National Guard major, has already overseen a 10 percent reduction in general officers since taking office and has removed or pushed out more than two dozen senior officers across various service branches.
Hegseth stated that the proposed 20 percent cut to admirals and generals is intended to reduce the distance between decision-makers and active-duty warfighters, arguing that "rank-heavy" structures do not necessarily lead to better battlefield outcomes. While Hegseth characterized the move as a precise effort to streamline the department, some Republican and Democratic senators have expressed skepticism, with some reporting they were blindsided by the announcement last month.
The Secretary also emphasized the establishment of the Autonomous Warfare Command (AUTOWARCOM), which the Pentagon aims to have operational by early October 2027. Hegseth argued the command is necessary to integrate drone and robotic technologies across the military services. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao noted a step in this direction, reporting that the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group deployed on October 8 with a medium-sized unmanned surface vessel.
For the military's leadership, the 20 percent cut to general and admiral ranks directly affects high-level officers across the Army, Navy, and Air Force. This follows a previous 10 percent reduction, totaling a significant contraction of the senior officer corps within two years. Hegseth argued this change would be noticed by warfighters as a reduction in administrative layers, though the exact impact on day-to-day operations and command structure remains a point of debate among lawmakers who oversee the Pentagon's personnel authorizations.
What happens next depends on congressional approval, as both the record-setting budget and the creation of a new four-star combatant command require legislative authorization. The $1.5 trillion request faces an uncertain path due to skepticism from both parties and the upcoming November midterms, which occur in less than three weeks. The Pentagon has set an October 1, 2027, target for standing up the Autonomous Warfare Command, while the Army is separately moving to establish its own Futures and Autonomous Systems Command (FASCOM) under an October 1 memo.