US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has confirmed that the military will cut 20% of its generals and admirals as he unveiled a series of changes, including a new command overseeing autonomous and robotic capabilities.
Hegseth made the announcements on Wednesday during his ‘State of the Force’ address to junior officers and enlisted leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
It was the second consecutive year that Hegseth has delivered the address, which is not a traditional fixture among Pentagon leaders. His predecessors have regularly addressed troops and senior officers, but usually in smaller or private settings.
This year, the US military is seven months into a war with Iran with no clear end in sight. It has also captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and killed more than 200 people in strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in Latin America, among other military actions worldwide.
Hegseth orders deeper cuts to top ranks
Hegseth directed all military services to double the 10% reduction he ordered last spring for roughly 800 flag and general officer positions, bringing the total reduction to 20%.
The cuts are to be completed by Jan. 1, 2027, and could affect any one-star general or above, or an officer of equivalent Navy rank.
‘I call it accountability and long overdue,’ Hegseth said.
The number of general officer positions in the US military is set by law, although positions can remain vacant if replacements are not submitted to Congress.
As part of last year’s cuts, Hegseth ordered the active-duty military to eliminate 20% of its four-star general officer positions and the National Guard to reduce 20% of its top positions. It remains unclear whether all of those cuts have been completed.
Members of Congress have criticised the war and the reduction of munitions stockpiles, while some have described the latest cuts to the military’s senior ranks as a ‘purge’ that could take years to rebuild.
Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot and NASA astronaut who has criticised Hegseth, said the Pentagon chief was ‘purging a generation of great leaders of the military’.
Republican Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he wanted to understand the reasoning behind the decision.
‘If it’s simply a matter of eliminating a very heavy top, there may be some validity to it, but I want to see it first,’ Rounds said.
New command to oversee drone technology
Hegseth also announced the creation of a new four-star command to oversee the rollout of autonomous and robotic capabilities, describing it as ‘the fastest peacetime shift in modern military history’.
The announcement comes a month after officials said an Army unit based in Europe that specialised in drone warfare had been ordered to return to being a traditional infantry battalion.
The move ended the unit’s efforts to learn and use battlefield drone technology, prompting a bipartisan group of US lawmakers to ask the Army to explain the decision as battlefields rapidly evolve and military tactics increasingly rely on uncrewed systems.
The new drone command is being established as the US remains in a stalemate with Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy shipping corridor.
The war has forced American forces in the region to use hundreds of expensive missile interceptors to defend against Iranian missile and drone attacks. Those attacks have also killed and wounded US troops.
Hegseth repeated claims that the US military has destroyed Iran’s navy, air force and defence systems, along with many of its leaders and its industrial base.
However, Iran has continued to launch intermittent drone and missile attacks against US or allied bases in the region while maintaining its ability to strike commercial and military ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Debate over military overhaul and weapons stockpiles
During his speech, Hegseth highlighted the Trump administration’s major investments in the defence industry and its push for contractors to accelerate production and expand the nation’s weapons stockpiles.
Experts, however, said US military contractors would need at least three years to replenish stockpiles of key weapons systems used heavily in the war with Iran.
Hegseth has also continued to promote changes aimed at what he calls ‘woke’ culture, including the rollback of diversity programmes, a review of ground combat units with female troops and a new screening programme for ‘testosterone deficiency’ among male personnel.
Trump or Hegseth have already fired or pushed more than two dozen military leaders to retire since taking office, including the Army’s top uniformed officer, Randy George.
The move has angered both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. The departures have also included a number of senior officers who are women or people of colour.
The cuts come as Hegseth faces questions over his approach to the military’s senior leadership and the impact of reducing the number of top-ranking officers.
