Hegseth directs 20% cut to top military leadership positions
May 5, 2025, 1:45 PM
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives for a meeting with Peru's Foreign Affairs Minister Elmer Schialer and Peru's Minister of Defense Walter Astudillo at the Pentagon, Monday, May 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday directed the active duty military to shed 20% of its four-star general officers as the Trump administration keep pushing the services to streamline their top leadership positions.
Hegseth also told the National Guard to shed 20% of its top positions.
In a memo dated Monday, Hegseth said the cuts will remove 鈥渞edundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership.鈥�
On top of the cuts to the top-tier four-star generals, Hegseth has also directed the military to shed an additional 10% of its general and flag officers across the force, which could include any one-star or above or equivalent Navy rank.
Hegseth said the cuts aimed to free the military from 鈥渦nnecessary bureaucratic layers.鈥�
The news of the cuts was first reported by CNN.
