Hegseth Orders 20 Percent Cut to Generals and Admirals, Drawing GOP Pushback

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a 20 percent reduction in the number of generals and admirals across the armed forces by Jan. 1, 2027, according to news reports on the Pentagon’s latest leadership restructuring.

The order doubles a 10 percent cut announced in the spring, marking one of the most aggressive reductions of senior military leadership in decades. The Pentagon said the goal is to slim the top ranks and push authority and decision-making down the chain of command.

The plan drew public objections from members of Hegseth’s own party after his Sept. 30 “State of the Force” speech. Sen. Roger Wicker, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, along with Sens. Joni Ernst, Susan Collins and Mike Rounds, criticized the scope and pace of the cuts, raising concerns about readiness and the loss of institutional experience.

Wicker and the other senators said the reduction should be studied rather than imposed on a fixed timetable. Their pushback matters because the Armed Services Committee oversees Pentagon personnel policy and could use legislation to slow or reshape the plan.

Hegseth has argued that the military has accumulated too many senior officers relative to the size of the force and that a leaner leadership structure will make the Pentagon faster and more accountable. The Pentagon has not released a service-by-service breakdown of how the cuts will be distributed.

Critics of the plan, including the objecting senators, counter that generals and admirals carry operational and diplomatic responsibilities that cannot simply be shifted downward. They warn that abrupt cuts could create gaps in command and strain officers who remain.

The dispute reflects a broader tension over how the Defense Department should be run. Hegseth has moved quickly to reshape the Pentagon’s leadership ranks since taking office, and each step has drawn scrutiny from Congress and retired military leaders.

The Jan. 1, 2027 deadline gives the services just over a year to implement the reductions. How many senior officers retire, are reassigned or are pushed out, and whether Congress intervenes in the meantime, will determine whether the 20 percent target holds.