Hegseth to announce further cuts to general and admiral positions

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to announce further reductions in the number of generals and admirals serving in the U.S. military during an address to troops at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Wednesday, Pentagon officials said. The reports describe a planned announcement; they do not establish that the reductions have been formally directed or completed. According to Pentagon officials, Hegseth plans to double an earlier 10% reduction target for general and flag-officer positions. One account put the new target at about 20% of roughly 800 positions, with the cuts to be completed by Jan. 1. The other reports described a 20% reduction in positions but did not specify the same baseline or deadline, and the Pentagon has not provided a position-by-position plan in the material available. The address, described by the Pentagon as Hegseth’s State of the Force speech, is scheduled for Wednesday at the Virginia base. The planned reductions follow a May 2025 effort to reduce senior-officer positions. Hegseth said then that the goal was to streamline military leadership and remove unnecessary layers of bureaucracy.