Hegseth Orders 20% Cut in Top Military Brass

Hegseth Orders 20% Cut in Top Military Brass \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the active-duty military and National Guard to cut 20% of their four-star and top officer positions, aligning with Trump’s push for a leaner, more centralized force. Critics warn the cuts could politicize leadership and target diversity. The Pentagon was given little congressional oversight on the move.

Quick Looks

• Hegseth orders 20% cut in four-star general officers and top National Guard leaders.
• An additional 10% reduction in general and flag officers across all services mandated.
• Top officers, including women and Gen. CQ Brown Jr., have already been fired.
• Critics fear increasing politicization and loss of diverse leadership within the force.
• Hegseth aims to eliminate ‘redundant bureaucracy’ and enforce uniformity standards.
• Congress given minimal notice, bypassing traditional notification protocols.
• Military parade set for Trump’s birthday, costing tens of millions amid budget cuts.
• Army undergoing mass restructuring, closing HQs and shifting personnel to combat units.

Deep Look

In a dramatic move reflecting the Trump administration’s latest effort to overhaul the U.S. military, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday issued a directive ordering significant leadership reductions across all military branches, including a 20% cut in four-star general officers. The sweeping initiative, framed as a drive for “efficiency,” has already drawn sharp concern from critics who warn that the cuts could further politicize the military hierarchy, diminish diversity, and disrupt operational continuity.

The directive, outlined in a Pentagon-wide memo, also commands the National Guard to reduce 20% of its top leadership roles, and calls for a 10% cut of all general and flag officers, covering those ranked one-star and above, including Navy equivalents. While framed as a cost-saving and organizational streamlining effort, the move follows a pattern of high-profile firings initiated since Trump returned to office—more than a half-dozen senior generals have been ousted this year alone.

Among those dismissed were General CQ Brown Jr., former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the only two women serving as four-star generals, as well as multiple other senior female officers. Hegseth previously justified those decisions by stating that Trump “wanted the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take.”

That approach has increasingly centered on the removal of military leadership viewed as unsympathetic to Trump’s political agenda. As Pentagon chief, Hegseth has launched what he calls a “realignment” of military culture, which includes cracking down on diversity and inclusion programs, attempting to ban transgender service members, and imposing new standardized fitness rules to create what he describes as a “leaner, combat-ready force.”

In his latest memo, Hegseth said the leadership cuts are intended to “remove redundant force structure” and “optimize and streamline command oversight,” echoing long-standing criticisms by Trump allies that the military has become too bureaucratic and politically entangled. Hegseth claimed the decision would remove “unnecessary bureaucratic layers” and allow field commanders greater autonomy.

But critics, including former military officials and members of Congress, are pushing back. They argue that the sudden purge of top officers—especially those with deep institutional knowledge or a history of challenging political directives—risks creating a command climate where loyalty is prioritized over expertise or ethical standards. The lack of transparency, too, has alarmed lawmakers.

Though the number of general officer billets is set by statute, Congress was not formally notified of the cuts in advance, which is customary for decisions of this scale. Instead, congressional offices reportedly received only a “very brief alert” on Monday afternoon. A senior congressional staffer, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the change bypassed traditional oversight mechanisms, leaving lawmakers in the dark about its scope and rationale.

Currently, the U.S. military has around 800 general and flag officers, but only 44 serve at the four-star level. The Army, the largest branch, employs 219 general officers, including eight four-star generals. The reduction will significantly alter leadership structures at the highest levels, potentially reshaping how the Pentagon conducts strategic planning, resource allocation, and force deployment.

Adding to the upheaval, sources inside the Department of Defense say Hegseth has reorganized his inner circle, dismissing or reassigning several key advisers in recent weeks. These personnel changes, combined with questions over Hegseth’s reported use of encrypted messaging platforms like Signal to discuss sensitive matters, have sparked bipartisan scrutiny over his conduct and management style.

Behind the personnel shake-up is the broader mandate of federal budget tightening, spearheaded by Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency—a new agency pushing to downsize major government institutions, including the Department of Defense. Hegseth, a former Fox News contributor and Army veteran, has publicly championed this minimalist approach to military spending, emphasizing combat readiness over administrative structure.

In line with that philosophy, Hegseth last week ordered a sweeping transformation of the Army, which includes merging or closing headquarters units, scrapping outdated vehicles and aircraft, cutting up to 1,000 Pentagon staff, and reallocating those resources to combat units deployed in the field. He dubbed the initiative a plan to “build a leaner, more lethal force.”

Still, the optics surrounding these reforms remain complex. Just days after announcing drastic cost-cutting measures, the Pentagon confirmed plans for a large-scale military parade on Trump’s birthday in June, part of the celebrations for the Army’s 250th anniversary. The parade is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars, a decision that’s already fueling criticism of the administration’s priorities.

As the Pentagon enters a period of significant structural transition, concerns persist over how the new vision for military leadership—defined by loyalty, ideological alignment, and efficiency—will affect the force’s professionalism, apolitical identity, and readiness for global conflict. With top generals gone, transparency strained, and morale in question, the Pentagon faces not just a leadership gap, but a crisis of institutional trust.

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