Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered sweeping cuts to the US military’s most senior leadership ranks.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, the US military currently has approximately 900 general and flag officers—those holding ranks of brigadier general (one-star) and above—across all service branches, including about 38 active-duty four-star generals and admirals (according to Department of Defense data as of March 31, 2025). These senior leaders oversee vast organizational structures, often commanding entire military branches, combatant commands, or critical operational areas like cyber or space. Their responsibilities include strategic planning, oversight of multi-billion-dollar budgets, operational readiness, and advising civilian leadership on military affairs. Trump has previously expressed a desire to shrink the Pentagon’s upper ranks, arguing that excessive layers of senior leadership contribute to bureaucratic inefficiency and slow decision-making.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, Secretary Hegseth issued a memo ordering a significant reduction in the number of senior military officers, calling for at least a 20% cut in four-star generals and admirals and a 10% overall reduction in general and flag officers across the US military. The directive is framed as part of a broader effort to modernize and streamline military leadership. Hegseth said, “The military must be unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder their growth and effectiveness.” He added that the cuts are a “critical step” in “removing redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership.”
While the announcement is new, Secretary Hegseth previously criticized the military’s top brass on various podcasts before being nominated by Trump to lead the Pentagon. In one interview, Hegseth claimed that the Pentagon’s top brass are complicit in the politicization and “wokeness” in the military.
This all comes as some lawmakers on the left have criticized the move. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned the motives and methodology behind the directive, warning, “Eliminating the positions of many of our most skilled and experienced officers without sound justification would not create ‘efficiency’ in the military — it could cripple it.”
Reed added he would remain “skeptical” until Hegseth appears before the committee to explain his rationale. The memo also comes amid ongoing Senate review of upcoming senior military nominations, putting additional political weight on how these cuts will be implemented and who will ultimately be affected.
