On Monday May 5, 2025, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a 20% reduction in the number of four-star officers. Due to this, not only is the Pentagon taking hits from the reduction, but dozens of four-star officers leave without jobs, being forcefully relieved of their duties.
Hegseth also stated that there will be a 20% reduction in the number of general officers in the National Guard and an additional 10% reduction among general and flag officers across the military. There are 800 general-level officers in the military. 44 of them have four-star positions in the military, and from Hegseth, that number is likely going to decrease. He has since removed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Navy’s top admiral, and the director of the National Security Agency.
According to Reuters, Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island said in a quote that he was skeptical of the plans, making accusations that Hegseth has had a long record with firing military leaders. Reed continued criticism, stating “I have always advocated for efficiency at the Department of Defense, but tough personnel decisions should be based on facts and analysis, not arbitrary percentages”
In a video, Hegseth describes his cuts to be careful, but expeditious in the video. It’s still unclear how Hegseth plans to do these cuts, leaving people on the edge of their seats. The Pentagon has been carrying out a review of its global footprint and Hegseth has been considering whether to merge some combatant commands. However, these operations are led by none other than four-star officers, according to Reuters.
Three top officials have been fired in recent weeks, triggered by a leak investigation ordered by Hegseth chief of staff on March 21. According to the New York Times, Hegseth added that this is “a critical step in this process is removing redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership by reducing excess general and flag officer positions.”
As said previously, it is still unclear how Hegseth plans to do these cuts on four-star officers, if these cuts are official. Due to the fact that general officers serve directly to the president of the United States, they can sometimes be easier to fire than lower-ranked service members. Regardless, these cuts will likely have monumental consequences.
