Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday instructed the military to shed 20 percent of its four-star general officers as the Trump administration moves to reduce inefficiency in the military.
Hegseth also called for the National Guard to remove 20 percent of its top officers and directed the military to cut an additional ten percent of its general and flag officers, which could include one-star officers.
In earlier rounds of staff reductions, the secretary explained that the firings are “a reflection of the president wanting the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take.”
In a memo announcing the cuts, Hegseth said he would remove “redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership.” He wrote that the goal is remove the military from “unnecessary bureaucratic layers.”
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), a Marine veteran who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said he believes Hegseth is trying to politicize the military.
“He’s creating a formal framework to fire all the generals who disagree with him — and the president,” the Massachusetts Democrat said.
As reported by PBS:
There are about 800 general officers in the military, but only 44 of those are four-star general or flag officers. The Army has the largest number of general officers, with 219, including eight four-star generals.
The number of general officer positions in the military is set by law. Members of Congress were not provided with the advance notification they normally would receive on the cuts but were given a “very brief alert” this afternoon, according to a congressional staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not made public.
As we reported last week, Hegseth called for transforming the Army into a “leaner, more lethal force.” Potential reforms include merging or closing headquarters, eliminating outdated vehicles and aircraft, and reducing Pentagon headquarters staff by as many as 1,000.
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