Reuters reported that on May 5, Mr. Hegseth announced the shocking decision, along with a video posted on X network in which he affirmed: "Many generals do not mean many victories". He said the cuts were to maximize strategic readiness and not a clearing campaign.
In a first memorandum of understanding released by Reuters, Hegseth said he would cut at least 20% of the number of general officers in the National Guard and another 10% for general and admiral officers across the army.
The US military currently has 44 active or legal positions of 4-star generals and admirals. This is the highest rank in the US military in peacetime.
Notably, in just the first few months of his term, Mr. Hegseth - a former commentator for Fox News and a close ally of President Donald Trump - was removed from the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Commander of the Navy and Director of the National Security Service (NSA).
A series of dismissals in the ranks of senior citizens also occurred with 3 top assistants forced to leave their positions, including Dan Caldwell - Mr. Hegseth's close advisor.
Senator Jack Reed, leader of the Democratic caucus at the Senate Military Commission, has been strongly criticized, calling the plan lacking basis for analysis. He warned: "Eliminating key positions without a valid reason for ineffectiveness can paralyze the army".
For his part, Minister Hegseth affirmed that he had consulted the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the process would be carried out "carefully but quickly". He also clearly stated the viewpoint he once expressed in the hearing: "The more the apparatus, the less victory".
It is unclear which locations will be cut. The Pentagon has reassessed its global mark and Secretary Hegseth has considered whether it should merge a number of combat commands - which carry out operations in different regions of the world and are led by four-star generals - or not.
Positions that may be considered for the merger include: African Command (AFRICOM) and European Command (EUCOM); Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and Northern Command (NORTHCOM); Army Command in the Pacific and Command of US forces in South Korea.
Secretary Hegseth's targeting of senior generals - who are considered the pillars of the US military's strategy and combat - is raising questions about a new direction in US military thinking during the "Trump 2.0" era. Especially when Mr. Hegseth publicly criticized the training programs on cultural diversity in the army, saying that it was "discrimination in disguise".
As the Pentagon is reviewing all of its global operations, including the possibility of merging combat commands, observers are concerned that the US could lose flexibility in responding quickly to regional challenges.
