US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on October 1, 2026, that the United States military has reduced the number of generals and admirals by 20%. This announcement was made during his "State of the Force" address at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. Hegseth stated, "The number-crunchers say we fired 10% of the generals and admirals across the force," and added that there has been an additional 10% reduction in the overall number of general officer slots. He described the cuts as a necessary measure for accountability.
This announcement follows a previous speech in which Hegseth criticized the military's focus on what he termed "leftist woke ideas." Since the beginning of Donald Trump's second term as president, several high-ranking military officials have been removed from their positions, including General Charles "CQ" Brown, who was dismissed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in February 2025.
Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns regarding the potential politicization of the military, with Senator Mark Kelly stating that the cuts represent a "purge" of military leadership that could take years to recover from. Republican Senator Mike Rounds indicated a desire to understand the reasoning behind the cuts, suggesting that if the goal is to streamline leadership, it may have merit.
In addition to the personnel changes, Hegseth announced plans to create a new drone-focused warfare command to enhance the military's capabilities in autonomous and robotic warfare. He referenced Ukraine's use of drones in its conflict with Russia as an example of evolving battlefield tactics.
Furthermore, a task force led by Elon Musk, Newt Gingrich, and Palmer Luckey was introduced to study the future of warfare, focusing on developing advanced weapons and systems for future generations. Hegseth emphasized the importance of adapting to new warfare paradigms, stating, "the pace of war is changing faster than the process to support it."