Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday ordered a 20% reduction in the number of military generals and flag officers, arguing that the policy will bolster “strategic readiness and operational effectiveness.”
The reductions will be implemented in two phases: In the first, a minimum of 20% of the military’s active-duty four-star generals and flag officers, or admirals, will be removed. In the second phase, an additional 10% overall reduction of generals and flag officers throughout the Department of Defense will take place, in conjunction with a “realignment of the Unified Command Plan.”
“My title is ‘Less Generals More GIs,’” Hegseth, 44, said of his plan in a video posted on X.
The Defense secretary argued that the “historic” order is aligned with President Trump’s “commitment to achieving peace through strength.”
“We’re going to shift resources from bloated headquarters elements to our warfighters,” Hegseth said.
The Pentagon chief noted that the number of high-ranking military officials in the US has ballooned since World War II while troop numbers have gone down.
During World War II, 17 four- and five-star generals commanded 12 million US troops, whereas today, 44 four-star generals and flag officers lead the 2.1 million service members in the armed forces, according to Hegseth.
“More generals and admirals does not equal more success,” he argued.
“Now, this is not a slash-and-burn exercise meant to punish high-ranking officers,” he added. “Nothing could be further from the truth.
“This has been a deliberative process, working with the Joint Chiefs of Staff with one goal: maximizing strategic readiness and operational effectiveness by making prudent reductions in the general and flag officer ranks.”
Hegseth added that the review of the military’s Unified Command Plan will be the “most comprehensive” in nearly 40 years.
“It’s going to be done carefully, but it’s going to be done expeditiously,” he continued.
“We cannot afford to wait. We got to be lean and mean. And in this case, it means general officer reductions.”
