Pentagon chief Hegseth to announce 20% cut in general and admiral billets
The planned reduction in one- to four-star officer billets is a significant personnel reshaping of the US military leadership structure, announced by the Defense Secretary.
S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday. Hegseth will give a speech on Wednesday in front of hundreds of junior officers and enlisted officials, updating them on his priorities for the military. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Hegseth would say that he plans to cut the billets for general and flag officers by 20%.
Those are one- to four-star generals and admirals. That is an increase from the minimum 10-percent cut Hegseth laid out last year. Rather than firing people, one of the officials said, the rank of some future jobs would change while billets for others would be canceled. Hegseth has moved quickly to reshape the department, firing senior officers across the military and dealing with niche personnel issues.
Last year, he ordered a 20% reduction in the number of four-star officers. The event on Wednesday comes a year after Hegseth slammed "fat generals" and diversity initiatives in front of US military generals and admirals during a speech at Quantico. " The remarks by Hegseth, a former Fox News personality, and Trump, a former reality television star, resembled a reality TV format, as top US military officials were summoned on short notice. Addressing an auditorium full of top brass who flew in from around the world at the time, Hegseth defended his firings of flag officers, including the top US general, who is Black, and the Navy's top admiral, who is a woman.
He said the officers he relieved were part of a broken culture. "If the words I'm speaking today are making your hearts sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign," Hegseth said. com;)