Hegseth Orders Historic Reduction of US Military Generals in Bid to Streamline Forces

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a sweeping plan on Monday to significantly reduce the number of generals and flag officers across all branches of the US military, Fox News reports.

He described the move as “historic” and central to fulfilling President Donald Trump’s vision of “peace through strength.”

The plan, outlined in a newly released Pentagon memo, will take place in two phases and aims to cut the number of senior military leaders by up to 30%. The first phase mandates a 20% reduction in active-duty four-star and flag officers, as well as a corresponding 20% cut in the National Guard. A second phase will implement an additional 10% reduction across all branches.

“We’re going to shift resources from bloated headquarters elements to our warfighters,” said Hegseth during a video announcement. “This is about making our force leaner, more agile, and more lethal.”

Currently, the US military has 44 four-star officers — a ratio of approximately one general for every 1,400 service members. Hegseth noted this is a stark contrast to World War II, when there was one general per 6,000 troops.

Framing the move as part of his “less generals, more GIs” policy, Hegseth emphasized that the reductions will be executed in coordination with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to ensure military readiness is not compromised.

“This is not a slash-and-burn exercise meant to punish high-ranking officers,” he said. “It’s a deliberative process, carefully done, with one goal: maximizing strategic readiness and operational effectiveness.”

The announcement follows a series of broader Pentagon reforms under Hegseth’s leadership, including an overhaul of the Army to counter threats from China and emerging technologies such as hypersonic weapons.

By law, the number of general and flag officers is capped by Congress: 219 for the Army, 150 for the Navy, 171 for the Air Force, 64 for the Marine Corps, and 21 for the Space Force. While Hegseth’s directive does not exceed these caps, it signals a dramatic shift in how the Defense Department allocates leadership resources.

“We have to be lean and mean,” Hegseth concluded. “And in this case, it means general officer reductions.”