Hegseth to cut number of US general and admiral positions by 20%

Pentagon official says the plan will be announced in the defence secretary’s ‘State of the Force’ address in Virginia.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a ceremony in remembrance of US prisoners of war and those missing in action at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, US, September 18, 2026 [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]

United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will cut the number of positions reserved for generals and admirals by 20 percent, a Pentagon official has told Al Jazeera, in a change that will affect leadership across the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Hegseth is expected to announce the decision on Wednesday during a visit to the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, where he will deliver his “State of the Force” address in front of junior officers and enlisted officials, the official said.

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Media outlets in the US have also reported on the move.

The Associated Press news agency, citing Pentagon officials, reported that Hegseth will direct all the military services to double the 10 percent reduction that he ordered last year to the roughly 800 flag and general officer positions. This would make it a 20 percent total decrease and is to be completed by January 1, 2027.

Fox News reported the new reductions could include any one-star general or above or officer of equivalent Navy rank.

The Washing Post reported that the cuts could affect the careers of “hundreds of current and rising military leaders following scores of firings and denied promotions”.

US President Donald Trump or Hegseth have fired, or pushed into retirement, more than two dozen military leaders since taking office in January 2025, including the Army’s top uniformed officer, General Randy George , in April.

The administration also fired the only two women serving as four-star officers, along with several other senior female officers. Other top officials have left through retirements and resignations, including the Army secretary, Dan Driscoll , who resigned this month after repeated clashes with Hegseth.

When the defence secretary first announced the effort to trim the highest levels of the military ranks, he argued it was intended to remove “redundant force structure to optimise and streamline leadership”. And in a memo released in May 2025, he added that his aim was to free the military from “unnecessary bureaucratic layers”.

At this time last year, Hegseth also declared an end to “woke” culture and announced new directives for troops that included “gender-neutral” or “male-level” standards for physical fitness.

Senator Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed concern over Hegseth’s latest move in a statement. He said eliminating senior leadership positions must be done in consultation with Congress and warned that the planned cuts “should alarm every American”.

“Congress has been clear with the Secretary that he must consult this body and explain his reasoning for senior officer removals and promotion holds. To date, we have not received satisfactory answers,” Reed said.

“Our military is conducting major operations around the world, and the force is already under strain,” he added.

The number of general officer positions is set by law, but positions can be left unfilled if the administration does not submit nominees to Congress.

五角大楼官员表示，该计划将在国防部长于弗吉尼亚州发表的“部队状况”演讲中宣布。

2026年9月18日，美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯在华盛顿特区五角大楼举行的纪念美国战俘和失踪人员的仪式上发表讲话。[乔纳森·恩斯特/路透社]

据五角大楼一位官员向半岛电视台透露，美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯将削减20%的将军和海军上将职位，这一变化将影响陆军、海军和空军的领导层。

这位官员表示，赫格塞斯预计将于周三访问弗吉尼亚州匡蒂科海军陆战队基地时宣布这一决定，届时他将在初级军官和士兵面前发表“部队状况”讲话。

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共和党国会议员呼吁弹劾美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯（名单共3人，此为第2人）

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美国媒体也报道了这一举动。

美联社援引五角大楼官员的话报道称，赫格塞斯将指示所有军种将去年下令削减的约800个将级军官职位数量增加一倍，达到20%，这项削减计划将在2027年1月1日前完成。

福克斯新闻报道称，此次裁员可能包括任何一星将军或以上军衔的海军军官。

《华盛顿邮报》报道称，此次裁员可能会影响“数百名现任和后起之秀的军事领导人的职业生涯，此前已有数十人被解雇或晋升被拒绝”。

自 2025 年 1 月上任以来，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普或赫格塞斯已经解雇或迫使二十多名军事领导人退休，其中包括陆军最高军官兰迪·乔治将军，他在 4 月份被解雇。

政府还解雇了仅有的两名四星女军官以及其他几名高级女军官。其他一些高级官员则通过退休或辞职离职，其中包括陆军部长丹·德里斯科尔，他在本月因与赫格塞斯多次冲突而辞职。

国防部长最初宣布精简军队最高层级时，辩称此举旨在“去除冗余的部队结构，以优化和精简领导层”。在2025年5月发布的一份备忘录中，他补充说，他的目标是使军队摆脱“不必要的官僚层级”。

去年这个时候，赫格塞斯还宣布结束“觉醒”文化，并宣布了针对军队的新指令，其中包括“性别中立”或“男性水平”的体能标准。

罗德岛州民主党参议员、参议院军事委员会资深成员杰克·里德在一份声明中对赫格塞斯的最新举措表示担忧。他表示，裁减高级领导职位必须与国会协商，并警告说，计划中的裁员“应该让每一位美国人都感到震惊”。

里德说：“国会已明确告知部长，他必须就高级军官的免职和晋升暂缓一事咨询国会，并解释其理由。但迄今为止，我们尚未收到令人满意的答复。”

“我们的军队正在世界各地开展重大行动，部队已经不堪重负，”他补充道。

将军职位数量由法律规定，但如果政府不向国会提交提名人选，职位可能会空缺。