Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to announce a 20 percent reduction in positions designated for generals and admirals. The announcement is expected Wednesday during Hegseth’s State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, where he will speak to junior officers and enlisted leaders. Pentagon officials confirmed that these cuts will affect senior leadership slots across the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
This move follows a May 2025 directive from Hegseth that ordered a 10 percent reduction in general and flag officer positions. At that time, Hegseth also directed a 20 percent cut to general officer slots within the National Guard. The secretary stated during the earlier reductions that the goal was to "shift resources from bloated headquarters elements to our warfighters" and to remove redundant structures.
Memos reviewed by Fox News indicate that the service branches are requested to implement these new 20 percent cuts by January 1, 2027. A department source clarified that the reductions target the specific slots reserved for high-ranking officers rather than the individuals currently in those roles. In some instances, positions will be downgraded, allowing colonels and Navy captains to assume responsibilities previously held by one-star officers or higher.
The reductions will result in a change to the command structure within the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Roles previously managed by general or flag officers will be led by lower-ranking officers, such as colonels or captains, starting in January 2027. Hegseth has argued this shift will move authority closer to active military operations, though some members of Congress have expressed concern regarding the removal of senior leadership.
Lawmakers from both parties have commented on leadership changes. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) stated in July that she found the removal of senior officers and the blocking of promotions for lower-ranked personnel "deeply troubling." Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) suggested in April that the firing of former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George could have a "chilling effect" on military operations. Following the Wednesday address, the various military branches will begin the process of identifying which specific leadership slots will be eliminated or downgraded by the 2027 deadline.