From Fox News: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Monday that the U.S. military will soon be seeing a dramatic reduction in the number of general officers across all branches.
He called the reduction a “historic” move to fulfill President Donald Trump’s commitment to “achieving peace through strength.”
“We’re going to shift resources from bloated headquarters elements to our warfighters,” said Hegseth.
According to Hegseth, there are currently 44 four-star and flag officers across the military, making for a ratio of one general to 1,400 troops, compared to the ratio during World War II of one general to 6,000 troops.
In a memorandum announcing the reductions, Hegseth called for:
- A minimum 20% reduction of 4-star positions across the Active Component
- A minimum 20% reduction of general officers in the National Guard
- An additional minimum 10% reduction in general and flag officers with the realignment of the Unified Command Plan
Breaking: @SecDef Pete Hegseth has ordered the Pentagon to cut “excess” generals and flag officers. Per a new memo, that means –
– Minimum 20% cut to 4 star generals
– Minimum 20% cut to National Guard general officers pic.twitter.com/9fw7lmR6gq— Mark Satter (@marksatter) May 5, 2025
Hegseth released a video message on X Monday afternoon, explaining the reasoning behind his decision to reduce the number of military generals. He calls it the “Less Generals More GIs Policy.”
Introducing the “Less Generals More GIs Policy.” pic.twitter.com/bQLRL2MqSC
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) May 5, 2025
READ MORE from Fox News.
Hegseth orders ‘historic’ reduction of general officers in the military https://t.co/cRbe21uTtL
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 5, 2025
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