More than 20% of the Pentagon’s senior military leaders to be cut, Hegseth warns of a new wave of reductions

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is expected to announce a new reduction in the number of senior-ranking officers leading the United States military structure, U.S. media reported.

The announcement will be made during his annual State of the Force address, which will be held today at a military base in Quantico, Virginia.

According to Fox News, citing internal memoranda it obtained, the measures will take effect on January 1, 2027. The cuts will affect 20% of generals, admirals and wing commanders.

The move is expected to increase uncertainty within the U.S. military, which has faced numerous changes since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

One of the administration’s first decisions was the dismissal, without a clear explanation, of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Charles “C.Q.” Brown, a former African American fighter pilot.

The Trump administration later removed or forced the departures of the leaders of the Marine Corps, the U.S. Coast Guard, the NSA and other officials.

During the spring, the Army chief of staff was also relieved of his post, before the Secretary of the Army faced the same development.

Hegseth, who has restored the Department of Defense’s name to the Department of War, says he is selecting leaders prepared to lead the military with the world’s largest budget. He had earlier decided to reduce the number of senior-ranking officers across all military branches by 2025.