Defense Secretary Hegseth to announce removal of senior officers at Quantico briefing
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to announce the dismissal of roughly 20 percent of the military’s senior generals and admirals, part of a broader personnel overhaul.
The Department of Defense will hold a briefing at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Wednesday where Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is expected to announce the termination of about 160 senior officers, representing roughly one-fifth of the 800 active-duty generals and admirals across the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force. The move follows an earlier round of personnel reductions announced in 2025.
Hegseth has framed the changes as an effort to instill a "war fighter ethos" and has suggested a rebranding of the department as the "Department of War." Since taking office, at least 20 senior officers and civilian leaders have left the service, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and top officials in the Army, Navy and Air Force, according to CBS News.
Federal law limits the total number of general and flag officers, and there is no statutory requirement to fill every vacant position. Critics, including civil-rights groups such as the NAACP and the National Women’s Law Center, have accused the secretary of hindering promotions for Black service members and women. The Pentagon has responded that promotions are based solely on merit.
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) said the action amounts to "purging the upper echelon of the military from its best leaders," adding that the dismissed officers have decades of experience. A Congressional Research Service report noted that a large senior leadership corps can increase personnel costs and slow decision-making, though analysts said the impact depends on the rationale behind the reductions.