U.S. Defense Secretary Plans to Reduce Number of Senior Officers in the Army.. What's the Story?

- Two officials at the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) told Afaq News that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to announce plans to reduce the number of positions allocated for generals and admirals by 20% during a speech he will deliver to military personnel on Wednesday. The officials added that these cuts will double the reduction rate (which was 10%) that Hegseth ordered last year for senior positions, noting that the military branches are expected to implement these reductions by January 1, 2027.

Fox News was the first to publish reports about these plans. Hegseth is scheduled to detail his priorities for the Department of Defense on Wednesday during a speech at the Quantico Marine Corps base in Virginia.

One official mentioned to Afaq News that Hegseth had previously expressed his desire to reduce the number of senior leadership positions within the military institution and had approved the planned cuts earlier this month. Last year, Hegseth also directed the Pentagon to reduce the number of four-star generals and admirals by no less than 20% across all branches of the military.

In a memo outlining the details of the order, Hegseth wrote that these reductions represent a "critical" step towards "eliminating unnecessary excess power structures, aimed at improving and streamlining leadership by reducing excess positions for generals and senior officers." For his part, Senator Jack Reed - the leading Democratic member of the Senate Armed Services Committee - criticized these plans on Tuesday, stating in a statement: "Our military is conducting major operations around the world, and the forces are already under pressure; therefore, eliminating senior leadership positions at this time will increase that pressure and hinder leadership operations at a time when continuity of leadership is crucial."