Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Monday ordered at least a 20 percent reduction in the number of active-duty four-star generals and admirals in the US military, a memo from the defense secretary said, reports Al Jazeera.
The move is the latest major shakeup at the Pentagon under President Donald Trump's administration, which has already fired a series of senior officers this year.
The memo also calls for an additional 10 percent reduction in the number of general and flag officers, and a 20 percent cut in the number of general officers in the National Guard.
It did not specify how the reductions would be accomplished.
There were 38 four-star officers -- the highest rank that can usually be achieved in the US military -- and a total of 817 generals and admirals in the active-duty forces as of March 2025.
The cuts are aimed at removing "redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership by reducing excess general and flag officer positions," the memo said.
Hegseth later posted a video on X about the changes, which he dubbed "less generals, more GIs." In it, he said that despite the overall size of the military being far larger during World War II, there were fewer top officers at the time.
Hegseth said the cuts would be carried out in two phases, starting with those to four-star officers and National Guard generals, and followed by the 10 percent cuts to the overall number of generals and admirals.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
