Hegseth Orders Purge Of Four-Star Generals, Admirals

CNN reports:

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.

Hegseth has argued before, including during his confirmation hearing, that there are too many senior generals in the military. He said during a podcast interview last summer that he believes roughly a third of the military’s most senior officers are “actively complicit” in the politicization of the military.

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INBOX: @SecDef Hegseth orders a 20% cut of active component four-star military officers, a 20% slash of national guard general officers and a 10% cut on general and flag officers@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/mXjagMOAaw

— Wallace H. White (@WallHWhite) May 5, 2025