Hegseth's plan to cut senior military jobs could hit more than 120 high-ranking officers

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's plans to slash the fig of elder subject leaders crossed the services would chopped much than 120 high-ranking serviceman jobs successful the progressive work and National Guard, including arsenic galore arsenic 9 apical wide slots.

Based connected the percentages outlined by Hegseth and his elder staff, 20% of the 44 authorized apical progressive work wide and admiral jobs would beryllium eliminated, on with 10% of the much than 800 one-, two- and three-star positions, according to numbers compiled by The Associated Press.

The cuts — astir 9 positions among four-star generals and 80 jobs crossed the different enactment levels — would impact dozens of progressive work officers scattered crossed the 5 services arsenic good arsenic those who are successful associated bid jobs, specified arsenic those overseeing Africa, the Middle East and Europe. The changes would destruct 33 elder National Guard positions.

The cuts are portion of a broader government-wide run to slash spending and personnel crossed national agencies that is being pushed by President Donald Trump’s medication and state Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

According to Hegseth and others, the intent of the subject occupation reductions isn't to trim the wide size of the unit but to bladed retired the higher ranks and offset those cuts with further troops astatine little levels. While the wide fig of work members whitethorn not drop, the wage costs volition beryllium lower.

Some Democratic members of Congress person criticized Hegseth's plans arsenic an effort to politicize the subject and oust leaders that don't hold with the Trump administration. The changes besides travel arsenic the satellite is roiled by conflicts, including the wars successful Gaza and Ukraine, and arsenic the U.S. has troops deployed successful Syria and elsewhere.

Shifting enactment responsibilities

Military officials expect that arsenic assorted jobs are downgraded — for illustration from a lieutenant wide successful complaint to a large wide oregon brigadier wide — much enactment responsibilities volition autumn connected colonels oregon Navy captains and different subordinates.

And portion galore of the occupation cuts volition travel done attrition, arsenic elder officers discontinue oregon determination on, the services accidental they volition person the flexibility to determination radical into higher precedence positions and get escaped of little captious posts.

“More generals and admirals does not adjacent much success,” Hegseth said successful a video describing his plan. “This is not a slash and pain workout meant to punish high-ranking officers. Nothing could beryllium further from the truth. This has been a deliberative process.”

Calling it the “Less Generals, More GIs” plan, helium said the section volition marque “prudent reductions.”

How the cuts volition deed the subject services

The Army, which is the largest service, is allowed to person a maximum of 219 high-ranking wide officers and is expected to sorb a higher fig of the cuts, portion the Marine Corps volition astir apt spot small interaction astatine the precise top. There are lone 2 Marine four-star generals, and the tiny Space Force besides lone has two.

“The Marine Corps, with our wide officers, similar our civilians and elder executives, is by acold the leanest service," said Lt. Col. Josh Benson, a Marine spokesman. "Due to the already thin quality of the wide officers successful the Marine Corps, immoderate cuts to Marine wide officers volition person an outsized interaction to the Corps comparative to different services.”

He said astir one-third — oregon 21 — of Marine generals clasp 2 oregon 3 jobs each, and arsenic galore arsenic 10 positions are already empty.

Army leaders, meanwhile, person already developed plans to merge oregon close office units and staff. As galore arsenic 40 wide serviceman slots could beryllium chopped arsenic a result, officials person said.

The associated jobs would see leaders astatine determination commands, specified arsenic those successful Europe, the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East, arsenic good arsenic administrative oregon functional commands, specified arsenic Cyber Command and Special Operations Command.

Under the law, determination presently tin beryllium nary much than 232 of those associated officers, and they're dispersed crossed each the services.

It's unclear however galore of the cuts those jobs would absorb, versus the slots successful each of the services. But officials person talked astir merging immoderate commands arsenic the Pentagon reviews its wide enactment structure.

In summation to the associated bid jobs, Congress stipulates the maximum fig of high-ranking wide officers successful the services: 219 successful the Army, 171 successful the Air Force, 21 successful the Space Force, 64 successful the Marine Corps and 150 emblem officers successful the Navy.

All combined, the services can't person much than 27 four-star officers, 153 3 stars, 239 2 stars and 210 1 stars.

National Guard reappraisal and cuts

The alteration successful the National Guard stems from a reappraisal done by Guard leaders past twelvemonth that identified much than 30 positions that could beryllium chopped among the 133 wide serviceman jobs dispersed retired crossed the government. There are astir 30 wide officers successful the National Guard Bureau office staff, and the remainder are assigned to jobs successful different national agencies, including the FBI, CIA and the subject commands.

Guard officials described their program to Hegseth and Pentagon leaders, and it was approved. According to officials, it would effect successful six jobs chopped from Guard Bureau unit and the remainder from different subject and authorities posts.

The adjutants wide who tally the Guard successful each authorities are chosen by and enactment for the governors and truthful are not portion of immoderate cuts. They are mostly one- and two- prima officers.

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