US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is due to announce plans to reduce by 20 percent the number of positions reserved for generals and admirals, according to an exclusive released by Fox News on Tuesday.
“Hegseth approved reduction plans for the Army, Navy, Air Force and the military’s joint pool earlier this month,“ the US outlet reported, citing memos.
“The services were directed to implement the plans and complete the reductions by January 1, 2027. The new target doubles the 10 percent overall reduction in general and flag officer positions Hegseth ordered last year as part of his effort to streamline the military’s senior ranks,” Fox News added.
The announcement will come during a State of the Force address on Wednesday. The earlier directive separately called for a 20 percent decrease in active-duty four-star positions, as well as a 20 percent reduction in National Guard general officers.
A Department of War source told Fox News that “The latest reductions apply to billets – positions designated for generals and admirals – rather than an across-the-board removal of 20 percent of the officers currently serving in those ranks.”
Some of the positions will be “downgraded” instead of removed completely, the report goes on to state.
“Hegseth directed officials to establish O-6 requirements for general and flag officer positions identified for downgrade, allowing colonels and Navy captains to fill those jobs,” according to a September 16 memo cited by Fox News.
The report follows a string of resignations within the military establishment, the latest of which saw US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll step down. The White House announced his resignation without much elaboration, but reports said the move followed months of “friction” with Hegseth.
The war secretary had ousted former chief of staff General Randy George in April. Additionally, the US military’s Europe and Africa commander, General Christopher Donahue, resigned suddenly in June.
Hegseth had said last year that those who did not support his “reforms” for the military could step down. In late 2026, the New York Times (NYT) reported that Hegseth’s “purge” has left the US military “rudderless.”
“There were 10 four-star generals on active duty [when Hegseth took office]. The service currently has five, the fewest in decades,” that report said.
The war secretary’s reduction plans come as 50,000 US troops are deployed across West Asia.
More recent reports have said that US President Donald Trump plans to renew bombardment of the Islamic Republic after mid-term elections. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war on Iran, which has never been formally authorized by Congress, has killed thousands.
On September 19, Bloomberg reported that cuts within the Pentagon led to the US airstrike on an elementary school in Minab that killed at least 120 Iranian schoolchildren at the start of the war.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 09/29/2026 – 20:05
