{"id":2431426,"date":"2025-05-06T12:27:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T16:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hegseth-orders-reduction-of-military-generals-flag-officers\/"},"modified":"2025-05-06T12:28:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T16:28:27","slug":"hegseth-orders-reduction-of-military-generals-flag-officers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hegseth-orders-reduction-of-military-generals-flag-officers\/","title":{"rendered":"Hegseth Orders Reduction Of Military Generals, Flag Officers"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhegseth-orders-reduction-of-military-generals-flag-officers%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2431426&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a meaningful reduction in the number of four-star generals and flag officers within the U.S. military as part of a new directive aimed at enhancing efficiency and resource allocation towards frontline troops. According to the memo signed by Hegseth, the initiative will unfold in two phases, with a minimum of 20% reduction in active-duty four-star generals and National Guard officers in the first phase, followed by an additional 10% reduction in the second phase. Hegseth emphasized that this move is intended to maximize strategic readiness and operational effectiveness, contrasting ancient officer-to-troop ratios, noting that the current ratio stands at one general for every 1,400 troops, compared to one for every 6,000 during World War II.He stressed that the cuts are not aimed at punishing officers but are a thoughtful process designed to bolster military strength while addressing concerns over the increasing number of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israeli-military-officials-unite-in-opposition-to-biden-admins-iran-deal\/\" title=\"Israeli ... Officials Unite in Opposition to Biden Admin\u2019s Iran Deal\">high-ranking officers<\/a> in a force that has diminished as the Cold War. the directive has garnered mixed reactions, with some lawmakers expressing concerns about the imbalance in the military hierarchy and advocating for a greater focus on supporting front-line service members.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:250505-D-FN350-1045_(54498586594).jpg\">Madelyn Keech\/U.S. Secretary of Defense\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/06\/less-generals-more-gis-hegseth-orders-reduction-in-high-ranking-general-and-flag-officers\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=%E2%80%98Less%20Generals,%20More%20GIs%E2%80%99:%20Hegseth%20Orders%20Reduction%20In%20High-Ranking%20General%20And%20Flag%20Officers&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/06\/less-generals-more-gis-hegseth-orders-reduction-in-high-ranking-general-and-flag-officers\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=%E2%80%98Less%20Generals,%20More%20GIs%E2%80%99:%20Hegseth%20Orders%20Reduction%20In%20High-Ranking%20General%20And%20Flag%20Officers&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/06\/less-generals-more-gis-hegseth-orders-reduction-in-high-ranking-general-and-flag-officers\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/06\/less-generals-more-gis-hegseth-orders-reduction-in-high-ranking-general-and-flag-officers\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98Less%20Generals,%20More%20GIs%E2%80%99:%20Hegseth%20Orders%20Reduction%20In%20High-Ranking%20General%20And%20Flag%20Officers&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/06\/less-generals-more-gis-hegseth-orders-reduction-in-high-ranking-general-and-flag-officers\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo Monday that aims to reduce the number of four-star generals and flag officers in the U.S. military.<\/p>\n<p>This directive &ldquo;is a historic one, and it&rsquo;s in keeping with President Trump&rsquo;s commitment to achieving peace through strength,&rdquo; Hegseth said in a video message <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SecDef\/status\/1919499390370066650\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announcing<\/a> the order. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re gonna shift resources from bloated headquarters elements to our warfighters.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-462460365\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As described by Hegseth and further outlined in Monday&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2025\/May\/05\/2003704210\/-1\/-1\/1\/MEMORANDUM-DIRECTING-GENERAL-AND-FLAG-OFFICER-REDUCTIONS.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">memo<\/a>, this new policy will come in two phases. <\/p>\n<p>According to the directive, the first phase will result in a &ldquo;minimum&rdquo; 20 percent reduction of both active-duty four-star generals and &ldquo;general officers in the National Guard.&rdquo; The second phase will produce &ldquo;[a]n additional minimum 10% reduction in general and flag officers with the realignment of the Unified Command Plan.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Through these measures, we will uphold our position as the most lethal fighting force in the world, achieving peace through strength and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pete-hegseth-announces-historic-move-to-restructure-military-with-less-generals-order\/\" title=\"Pete ... Announces &#039;Historic&#039; Move to Restructure ... with &#039;Less ...&#039; Order\">ensuring greater efficiency<\/a>, innovation, and preparedness for any challenge that lies ahead,&rdquo; the memo reads. <\/p>\n<p>In his Monday video announcement, Hegseth contrasted the number of four-star generals in the service during World War II to the present day. He said it &ldquo;used to be a ratio of one general to 6,000 troops&rdquo; during the global conflict but now stands at &ldquo;one general to 1,400 [troops].&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;More generals and admirals does not equal more success,&rdquo; Hegseth said.<\/p>\n<p>The defense secretary went on to clarify that the order is &ldquo;not a slash and burn exercise meant to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >punish high-ranking officers<\/a>,&rdquo; adding, &ldquo;nothing could be further from the truth.&rdquo; He also noted the effort has been a &ldquo;deliberative process&rdquo; that has involved collaboration with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with the ultimate goal of &ldquo;maximizing strategic readiness and operational effectiveness by making prudent reductions in the general and flag officer ranks.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2023\/jan\/29\/top-heavy-us-military-bloated-brass-officer-enlist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Washington Times<\/a> reported in 2023, &ldquo;historical data shows that the percentage of generals and flag officers has gone up&rdquo; in the years since the Cold War, &ldquo;as the total&nbsp;U.S. military&nbsp;force has decreased.&rdquo; The disparity has prompted concerns from Republican lawmakers such as Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, who previously opined that &ldquo;the ratio of general officers to enlisted individuals now is so out of whack from where it used to be in our military.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Maybe if we focused on that, helping the troops who do so much of the work out there for our great country, and maybe focus on getting rid of all the woke policies in our military, we&rsquo;d have the money we need to make sure our troops get the pay raise they deserve, we have the weapons systems and the training that needs to be done, so we&rsquo;re ready to deal with our adversaries around the planet, that&rsquo;s what we want to focus on,&rdquo; the congressman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/jordan-says-cuts-military-spending-table-money-should-not-go-woke-policies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> during a 2023 &ldquo;Fox News Sunday&rdquo; interview.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/bureaucracy\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Bureaucracy<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/department-of-defense\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Department of Defense<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/efficiency\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">efficiency<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/generals\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Generals<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/jim-jordan\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Jim Jordan<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/military\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">military<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pentagon\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Pentagon<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Pete Hegseth<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/service-members\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">service members<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/warfighting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">warfighting<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo Monday to cut the number of four-star generals and flag officers in the U.S. military<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2431427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Pete-Hegseth.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[51320,15298,45173,4505,14230],"class_list":["post-2431426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-flag-officers","tag-generals","tag-hegseth","tag-military","tag-reduction"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Pete-Hegseth.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2431426"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2431430,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431426\/revisions\/2431430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2431427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2431426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2431426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2431426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}