Hegseth to announce a 20% cut to generals and admirals

September 29, 2026 / 7:24 PM EDT / CBS News

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to call for a 20% cut in the number of generals and admirals across the U.S. military on Wednesday, a Pentagon official told CBS News.

The announcement is set to take place during a rare address to military officers at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. It marks the latest move by Hegseth to change the structure of the military, especially at its top levels.

Fox News was first to report the planned reductions.

In May 2025, Hegseth ordered that a minimum of 10% of all flag and general officers be cut, along with 20% of general officers in the National Guard. In a one-page memo posted on the Defense Department's website, Hegseth said at the time that the cuts were necessary to "drive innovation and operational excellence."

He argued that the military must be "unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder their growth and effectiveness," and the key to achieving this would be "removing redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership by reducing excess general and flag officer positions."

As of July, there were 851 active-duty generals and admirals across the Army…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/