U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the military to cut 20% of its four-star generals and flag officers, part of a broader Trump administration effort to streamline defense leadership and reduce what it calls “unnecessary bureaucratic layers.”
In a memo issued Monday, Hegseth also ordered the National Guard to reduce its top leadership positions by the same percentage, while mandating an additional 10% reduction across all general and flag officers — encompassing one-star ranks and above across all service branches.
“These cuts will remove redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership,” Hegseth wrote in the directive.
There are currently around 800 general and flag officers across the U.S. military, including 44 four-star positions. The reduction follows a series of high-profile firings already carried out under Hegseth’s tenure, including the dismissal of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown Jr.. The defense secretary described those moves as aligning military leadership with the Trump administration’s national security vision.
The Pentagon’s leadership overhaul is part of a wider campaign to cut federal spending, championed by both President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. The campaign aims to reduce personnel and operational costs across government agencies, with the Department of Defense among its primary targets.
Last week, Hegseth unveiled a sweeping transformation plan for the U.S. Army, which includes merging or closing headquarters, eliminating outdated vehicles and aircraft, and cutting up to 1,000 Pentagon staff positions, redirecting resources to operational units.
Despite these austerity measures, the Army confirmed plans to proceed with a military parade on Trump’s birthday in June, coinciding with the Army’s 250th anniversary. The celebration is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars, drawing scrutiny amid ongoing calls for fiscal restraint.
Hegseth defended the leadership cuts as necessary to build a “leaner, more lethal force” capable of responding swiftly to emerging threats without being bogged down by top-heavy command structures.
China has announced plans to fully cover childbirth-related costs for families as authorities move to incentivise young couples to have more children....
UNESCO is preparing to celebrate the first ever World Turkic Language Family Day on 15 December, following a decision by UNESCO’s General Conference...
Azerbaijan and Pakistan are bolstering bilateral ties and cooperation across energy, defence, trade and regional connectivity. This was highlighted at...
Syria has arrested five people suspected of having links to a deadly attack on a joint U.S.–Syrian convoy in the central town of Palmyra on Saturday...
The head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, the foreign spy service known as MI6, has warned that Russia "remains an aggressive and expansion...
Australia vowed stricter gun laws on Monday as it began mourning victims of its worst mass shooting in almost 30 years, in which police accused a father-and-son duo of killing 16 people at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
China has announced plans to fully cover childbirth-related costs for families as authorities move to incentivise young couples to have more children.
UNESCO is preparing to celebrate the first ever World Turkic Language Family Day on 15 December, following a decision by UNESCO’s General Conference in Samarkand establishing the date as an annual observance.
Azerbaijan and Pakistan are bolstering bilateral ties and cooperation across energy, defence, trade and regional connectivity. This was highlighted at a high-level meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday, 14 December.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his offer to host Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Ankara, at his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The talks took place on the sidelines of the international Forum for Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (12 December).
Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said that Ukraine has not provided Moscow with a list of thousands of children it alleges were taken illegally to Russia, despite the issue being discussed during talks in Istanbul.
Iranian authorities have seized a foreign tanker carrying more than 6 million litres of smuggled fuel in the Sea of Oman, detaining all 18 crew members on board.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
The latest round of clashes between Thailand and Cambodia has left 15 Thai soldiers dead and 270 others injured, Thailand’s Ministry of Defence spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said at a press conference on Saturday.
Syria has arrested five people suspected of having links to a deadly attack on a joint U.S.–Syrian convoy in the central town of Palmyra on Saturday, the country’s Interior Ministry said.
The head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, the foreign spy service known as MI6, has warned that Russia "remains an aggressive and expansionist threat", vowing sustained support for Ukraine and calling for greater use of technology to protect UK security.
Odesa residents remained without power for a third straight day on Monday (15 December) after a Russian missile and drone strike crippled the power grid on Saturday (13 December).
Fighting along the Thailand–Cambodia border has entered a fifth consecutive day, despite U.S. President Donald Trump claiming he had brokered a ceasefire between the two sides.
World leaders have expressed condolences and solidarity after 15 people were killed in a mass shooting during Hanukkah celebrations at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday (14 December).
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