Politics
JUST IN: Hegseth Makes Sweeping Shakeup At Pentagon
War Secretary Pete Hegseth is preparing another major shakeup at the Pentagon, this time targeting the military’s top-heavy command structure.
Hegseth is expected to announce plans Wednesday to cut by 20% the number of positions reserved for generals and admirals across the Army, Navy, Air Force and the military’s joint pool.
The services have been directed to carry out the reductions and complete them by Jan. 1, 2027, according to memos reviewed by Fox News Digital.
The move goes significantly further than the 10% overall reduction in general and flag officer positions Hegseth ordered last year as part of his broader push to strip away layers of bureaucracy and push more authority down the chain of command.
That earlier order separately called for a 20% reduction in active-duty four-star positions and a 20% reduction in National Guard general officers.
Hegseth has branded the effort “less generals, more GIs,” arguing that a leaner senior leadership structure would move resources and decision-making closer to troops in the field.
EXCLUSIVE: War Secretary Pete Hegseth will announce a new 20% reduction in military positions designated for generals and admirals during Wednesday’s State of the Force address, according to memos obtained by @FoxNews.
The move doubles last year’s overall reduction target for… pic.twitter.com/umEl0ZaNZh
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) September 29, 2026
The latest plan applies to billets, meaning positions designated for generals and admirals, rather than simply removing 20% of the officers currently serving at those ranks.
Some of the jobs will reportedly be downgraded instead of eliminated entirely.
In a Sept. 16 memo approving cuts to the military’s joint pool, Hegseth directed officials to establish O-6 requirements for positions marked for downgrade, allowing colonels and Navy captains to take over duties previously reserved for generals and admirals.
The announcement is expected to come during Hegseth’s State of the Force address in Quantico, Virginia, where he will lay out his priorities for the military in the coming year.
It also comes exactly one year after Hegseth summoned hundreds of generals and admirals from around the world to Quantico and warned senior military leaders that those unwilling to support his reforms should step aside.
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Pete Hegseth has repeatedly argued that reducing the number of senior officers is about efficiency and readiness, not retaliation.
“This is not a slash-and-burn exercise meant to punish high-ranking officers,” Hegseth said when he announced the earlier reductions in May 2025. “This has been a deliberative process, working with the Joint Chiefs of Staff with one goal: maximizing strategic readiness and operational effectiveness by making prudent reductions in the general and flag officer ranks.”
The Pentagon overhaul comes as Hegseth continues reshaping the way senior military leaders are selected and evaluated.
The department recently rolled out a new battlefield-style assessment for officers seeking promotion to general, requiring candidates to demonstrate their ability to solve complex military problems under simulated combat conditions.
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That new system is expected to become part of promotion decisions beginning with the fiscal year 2027 cycle.
This year’s Quantico audience will also look different.
Military commands have reportedly been instructed to send top-performing service members who meet fitness and body-composition standards and maintain “impeccable” grooming and uniform standards.
Some of the troops attending are also expected to participate in a workout with Hegseth.
The latest cuts make clear that Hegseth’s restructuring of the Pentagon’s senior ranks is accelerating, with fewer top-level billets and more positions potentially pushed down to lower-ranking officers.
