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Defense Secretary Pete Hegses announced Monday that the US military would soon see a dramatic decline in the number of general officers across all branches.
He called the cuts a “historic” move to fulfill President Donald Trump’s commitment to “achieving peace through strength.”
“We’re shifting resources from bloated headquarters elements to fighter jets,” Hegses said.
According to Hegseth, the military currently has 44 four stars and flag officers, accounting for the ratio of one general to one general, compared to the ratio of 6,000 military to one general during World War II.
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The Secretary of Defense released a memo Monday afternoon. (x/@secdef)
Pledging to turn the troops into “a more lean and deadly force,” Heggs issued a memo to senior Pentagon staff on Monday, where he ordered the cuts to be implemented in two phases.
In the first phase, Hegses ordered a “minimum” 20% reduction in the active duty components for four-star generals and flag officers, and a 20% reduction in the National Guard.
In phase 2, the secretary orders a further 10% reduction in the general public flag officers by an additional 10% reduction.
The secretary called some of his cuts in “less generals, more GIS policies.”
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US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses, left (AP Photo/Gerald V. Kaleon)
In a video announcing the changes, he said the cuts will be “cautious, but it will be done quickly.”
He said, “This is not a slash-and-burn exercise to punish high-ranking officers,” he said, “it is a deliberative process and we will work with the co-head to maximize strategic preparation and operational effectiveness by making careful reductions.”
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“We’ve become lean and mean, and in this case, that means reducing the number of general officers,” Hegses said.
Congress sets the number of officers allowed in the military. The total number of active generals or flag officers concludes with 219 in the Army, 150 in the Navy, 171 in the Air Force, 64 in the Marines and 21 in the Space Force.
Peter Pinedo is a political writer for Fox News Digital.
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