Hegseth orders Pentagon to cut number of senior generals by 20%

[Nevilledog]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/05/politics/hegseth-orders-pentagon-cut-senior-generals

CNN
—
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered senior Pentagon leadership to cut the number of four-star generals and admirals by at least 20% across the military, according to a memo signed by Hegseth dated Monday and obtained by CNN.

As of 2023, there were 37 four-star generals and admirals across the entire military.

The memo also directs the Pentagon to cut the number of general officers in the National Guard by 20%, and to cut the total number of general and flag officers across the military by 10%. There are currently about 900 general and flag officers — those with the rank of one star or higher — across the military.

In his memo, Hegseth wrote that the cuts are a “critical” step toward “removing redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership by reducing excess general and flag officer positions.”

The Pentagon has been considering making significant cuts to the top of the military amid an administration-wide effort to shrink the federal government, CNN reported in March.

*snip*

This is to get rid of officers that won't follow unlawful orders IMHO

[underpants]

1. Thank you for your service now get out

Is their bloat? I’m sure but these are officer who’ve moved to General and nowadays that means a lot of studies at universities. Cowboys and Rambos don’t make it to General.

[Nimble_Idea]

13. thats cute. the utter fake ones just make it to SecDef. Oh and Flynn.

[Torchlight]

2. Purging that many senior staff at once sets a familiar scene

as Mr. trump continues with his five-year Yezhovshchina plan.

[JT45242]

3. Get rid of all who took oath to constitution and not trump

Plus get rid of all the women, blacks, and Hispanics while you are at it.
Of course Hegseth used more 'colorful' language to describe all but white males.

[Martin Eden]

14. Ding Ding Ding

It's a purge of military leaders least likely to obey illegal orders from the orange POtuS.

[malaise]

4. Bet they're all younger than

Donvict😀

[FSogol]

5. Correction: Hegseth orders Pentagon to cut # of experienced generals by 20%

[NewHendoLib]

6. Chapter 85 in how to destroy a country. Shit-holing in progress

[Resistance1]

7. After a year has passed

Replace them with loyal stooges under the pretense that the military needs more senior leadership.

[twodogsbarking]

8. Computer eyes. I first thought it said genitals. They like to talk about them, you know.

[ashredux]

9. It seems obvious, Trump and his henchman, want to destroy the country....

[3825-87867]

10. Hegseth doesn't have the vocabulary nor brains

to write something like that. Nor does anyone stump has appointed! Everyone in missing the obvious...that the traitors from the Heritage cesspool are running the place.

[orangecrush]

20. THIS

[Iamscrewed]

11. Screwed

We're all screwed if this administration isn't stopped.

[JoseBalow]

12. Let me guess, 80% of generals are white?

I bet I know who they'll want to keep.

[NBachers]

15. Weakening our military

[AverageOldGuy]

16. This is somewhat personal for me

I was an artillery forward observer in Vietnam. Because of physical limitations after being shot a couple of times, I could no longer stay in the field artillery, branch transferred to a non-combat branch where I completed 28 years of service, retiring in 1995. Friend of mine with whom I served in Vietnam remained in the artillery. We stayed in touch all these years, even served in the Pentagon two times concurrently.

His older son was badly injured in a wreck as a teenager, could not serve, is enjoying a very successful career in the engineering field, retired couple of years ago.

His younger son graduated from West Point and about two years ago pinned on his third star and is now commanding one of the Army's (omitted to avoid identifying him). Very fine guy, well-respected because he is a fine officer and leader. He's a warrior and a gentleman.

Problem: The family is clearly a minority ethnic group with a name and physical appearance that is unmistakably not white Anglo-Saxon. Meanwhile, the father -- my friend -- is an unapologetic MAGAt who is all against women in combat, renaming military bases, DEI promotions, and the like.

My concern: The family name and heritage could mark him as a DEI promotion and cost him a fourth star.

Talked with my friend a few minutes ago, he brought up this matter and was railing against Hegseth. I wanted to but I did not say: "Well, you voted for this."

Pete Hegseth is not fit to shine my friend's son's boots . . . in fact, he's not fit to shine the boots of a PFC, let alone a flag officer.

[Paladin]

17. And then we'll have a big-ass expensive parade in D.C., for trump's birthday.

If a Democrat pulled this sort of insane bullshit, the whole country would be in the streets. What a nightmare...

[dchill]

18. "...removing redundant force structure..."

...starts with you, you drunk!

[EX500rider]

19. Force is a little top heavy IMO

In June 1945 the military had 2,068 generals and admirals on its rolls.
In March 1997 the services had 879 generals and admirals - for a total force only about one eighth the size of the 12 million-strong World War II force.

[Cherokee100]

21. Scary Stuff.

Benedict donald/draft dodger, is intentionally weakening the military (per Putins orders). That way he can declare Martial Law. I'm curious to see what happens, at the military parade on June 14th, 2025. Will he make his move then? Stay tuned.

[zipplewrath]

22. Classic Corporate Concept

I worked for years in the corporate world. A classic way for upper management to achieve cost cuts was to dictate staff reductions. In one sense they weren't wrong, our primary cost on most programs was manpower. Okay, we're over budget, something has to be done. Cutting manpower made a sort of sense. Here was the problem. You also had to cut "scope". I.e you had to eliminate the tasks that the manpower was expected to accomplish. They of course never wanted to do that.

20% reduction in 4 stars. Okay, that's apparently about 8 people. What are they doing and who is going to replace them? A 3 star? Is some 4 star going to get a larger command? But you see, Hegseth won't make those decisions. It will literally fall to the very people left behind. And in the end, what will really happen is that some 3 star will be given all the responsibility of a 4 star, without the promotion.

Our company, 20 years ago, decided that we were "top heavy". So they offered a retirement/severance package to VP's and some directors to try to "cull the herd". Within 2 years, every single position that had been "eliminated" was recreated. In many cases the position was filled by someone who didn't get the title of VP, but they got all the responsibility. Oh, by the way, I know you might think that by having someone to the job without being a VP means that they get paid less. Think again. Salary levels overlap and most of them were doing just fine thank you very much.

[Ping Tung]

23. Those remaining will be required to be able to wag their tails on command.