War Secretary Pete Hegseth is preparing another major restructuring of the Pentagon, with plans to cut the number of positions reserved for generals and admirals by 20%.
The reductions are expected to be announced Wednesday during Hegseth’s State of the Force address in Quantico, Virginia.
The plan applies across the Army, Navy, Air Force and the military’s joint pool, according to memos reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Military branches have reportedly been ordered to complete the reductions by Jan. 1, 2027.
The latest move goes further than the 10% overall reduction in general and flag officer positions Hegseth ordered previously.
That earlier directive separately sought a 20% cut in active-duty four-star positions and a 20% reduction in National Guard general officers.
Hegseth has described the broader effort as “less generals, more GIs.”
His argument is that reducing senior headquarters positions can move resources and decision-making authority closer to troops in the field.
The new reductions specifically target billets, meaning jobs designated to be filled by generals and admirals.
That distinction means the Pentagon is not simply removing 20% of the officers currently holding those ranks.
Some positions could instead be downgraded so they can be filled by lower-ranking officers.
A Sept. 16 memo approving reductions to the joint pool instructed officials to establish O-6 requirements for positions identified for downgrade.
That could allow Army, Air Force and Marine colonels, along with Navy captains, to assume duties previously reserved for general and flag officers.
The changes represent another step in Hegseth’s effort to flatten the military’s command structure.
Hegseth has repeatedly argued that the military accumulated too many layers of senior leadership and bureaucracy.
He has also rejected the idea that the reductions are designed to punish individual officers.
“This is not a slash-and-burn exercise meant to punish high-ranking officers,” Hegseth said when announcing earlier reductions.
He said the objective was to maximize “strategic readiness and operational effectiveness” through what he described as prudent reductions.
Wednesday’s announcement is expected to come exactly one year after Hegseth gathered hundreds of generals and admirals in Quantico for an unusual meeting of senior military leaders, per Trending Politics.
During that event, he laid out his expectations for the armed forces and told leaders who did not support his reforms that they should step aside.
The Pentagon is also changing how future generals and admirals are evaluated.
A recently unveiled assessment system will require officers seeking promotion to demonstrate their ability to solve complex military problems under simulated battlefield conditions.
Those assessments are expected to begin affecting the promotion process during the fiscal year 2027 cycle.
Hegseth’s broader changes have generated debate over how much direct political leadership should influence the traditionally service-driven process for selecting senior officers.
Some lawmakers and military figures have raised concerns about political influence, while the Pentagon has maintained that promotions will be based on merit.
This year’s Quantico gathering is also expected to feature a different audience.
Commands have reportedly been asked to send high-performing service members who meet fitness and body-composition requirements and maintain strong grooming and uniform standards.
Some of those troops are expected to participate in a workout with Hegseth.
The latest plan makes clear that the Pentagon’s senior command structure is continuing to shrink.
If implemented as planned, fewer positions will be reserved exclusively for generals and admirals, while some responsibilities will shift to colonels, Navy captains and other lower-ranking officers.
