Hegseth to Announce More Sweeping Cuts to Military’s Top Ranks

Hegseth is scheduled to deliver an address at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Wednesday afternoon, during which he is expected to announce the new reductions, Fox News reported.

The anticipated cuts come amid turmoil within the military’s leadership: At least 20 military and civilian leaders have been pushed out or resigned since Hegseth was sworn in as Defense Secretary. In 2025, Hegseth told the active duty military to cut 20% of its four-star general officers and the National Guard to cut 20% of its top officials. It is not known if all of those reductions have been completed. 

Hegseth said in a memo at the time that the reduction plan would eliminate “redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership” and that the goal was to prevent “unnecessary bureaucratic layers” within the military, The Associated Press reported.

“This is not a slash-and-burn exercise meant to punish high-ranking officers,” Hegseth said 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.”