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Posted on 09/29/2026 12:40:05 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Defense secretary to unveil the plan during Wednesday speech to hand-picked lower-ranked officers and troops
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will announce plans to cut by 20% the number of positions reserved for generals and admirals during a speech to servicemembers on Wednesday, according to Pentagon officials.
The cuts will double the 10% reduction to the top positions that the Pentagon chief ordered last year, the officials said. The armed services have been directed to complete the reductions by Jan. 1, 2027, the officials said. Fox News earlier reported the plans.
Hegseth is expected to lay out his priorities for the Pentagon in the coming year during an address at a U.S. Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va., on Wednesday.
He directed the original cuts to top brass in May 2025, instructing Pentagon leadership to cut the total number of four-star active-duty general officers by at least 20%, in addition to reducing the overall number of flag officers—admirals and generals with a one-star rank or above—by 10%.
Hegseth has long been vocal about his view that the military’s senior ranks are too big. In a May 2025 memo, he framed the cuts as overdue streamlining, calling for “removing redundant force structure.”
“This is not a slash and burn exercise,” he said in a video posted on X. “More generals and admirals does not lead to more success.”
As of Sept. 30, 2023, there were 809 active-duty flag officers, 48 fewer than the maximum of 857, according to the Congressional Research...
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
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WSJ is lying - the billets are being cut, not the personnel directly.
Too many generals in the kitchen is not good.
They’re not lying, they’re just ignorant.
The media wouldn’t know what a billet was if it bit ‘em on the ass.
Also, they’re reporting this as if it’s a bad thing.....it’s not.
More to the point, the number of flag billets at the pentagon has become a de facto “ticket punch” for advancement to more stars. That is not what is supposed to be - the general officers are supposed to be at the pentagon to lead and plan, not get their hand stamped for advancement. Those who do well (and focus on the mission and the troops) should advance. Those who are climbing the ladder systematically should retire.
As a former Army O-3, that is my strongly held opinion.
I didn't know either.
This is the kind of thing the media would have supported in the past, sticking it to the fat cat generals, the war mongers, etc.
I subscribe to US Naval Institute Proceedings. Each May they list with pictures all officers with flag rank. They also list commissioned ships. There all always more admirals than ships.
Currently 1.5 x Flag Officers then 1945 for a military 14 x smaller then 1945.
Yeah but you’re not a major news outlet broadcasting misinformation around the world.
Long overdue. If anything, it doesn’t go nearly far enough.
Also, we should make a point of weeding out Leftists in the military. There should have been a massive purge of Leftists as soon as Hegseth took office.
Next he ought to limit their fruit salad to three rows, valor awards the purple heart and oversea combat ones having first priority.
Agreed, way too many leftists were promoted to the O-7 level and above under Obama and Biden. With that as a given (as Obama forced many, over 200, to retire—that did not support his gay and far left agenda), thinning the herd is a great idea.
My brother-in-law, who is a diehard conservative, retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He despised Reagan for cutting back on full Colonels. Which he felt he had earned and probably did. He’s now retired and the retirement pay is much less.
It’s a start.
Bout f’n time.....been way top heavy for years.
Great start. Flag offers build empires of staff taking away from the force structure.
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