US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a 20% reduction in the number of four-star officers, deepening cuts at the Pentagon that have shaken the Department of Defense at the start of President Donald Trump's second term in office.
Mr Hegseth has long been vocal about how he views the senior-most ranks of the military as too big.
The former Fox News host has moved with stunning speed to reshape the department, firing top generals and admirals as he seeks to implement Mr Trump's national security agenda and root out diversity initiatives he calls discriminatory.
In a memo, the contents of which were first reported by Reuters, Mr Hegseth said there will also be a minimum 20% reduction in the number of general officers in the National Guard and an additional 10% reduction among general and flag officers across the military.
"More generals and admirals does not lead to more success," Mr Hegseth said in a video posted on X.
"This is not a slash and burn exercise meant to punish high ranking officers, nothing could be further from the truth," he said.
He added that he worked with the Joint Chiefs of Staff on this and the goal was "maximising strategic readiness".
At his confirmation hearing, he stated there was "an inverse relationship between the size of staff and victory on the battlefield".
At the time, he said there were 44 four-star positions in the military. He has since removed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Navy's top admiral and the director of the National Security Agency.
Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island said he was sceptical of the plans, accusing Mr Hegseth of having a track record of firing military leaders without cause.
"I have always advocated for efficiency at the Department of Defense, but tough personnel decisions should be based on facts and analysis, not arbitrary percentages," said Mr Reed, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"Eliminating the positions of many of our most skilled and experienced officers without sound justification would not create 'efficiency' in the military - it could cripple it," he added.
Careful but 'expeditious' cuts
In his video yesterday, Mr Hegseth said the cuts would be done carefully but "expeditiously."
It was unclear which positions would be cut. The Pentagon has been carrying out a review of its global footprint and Mr Hegseth has been considering whether to merge some combatant commands, which carry out operations in different parts of the world and are led by four-star officers.
Some potential options could include US African Command merging with US European Command, which would reduce one four-star position.
It could also mean combining US Southern Command, in charge of operations in Central and South America, with US Northern Command.
Other four-star positions Mr Hegseth might look at include the head of US Army forces in the Pacific and head of US forces in Korea.
The upheaval at the Pentagon in the last few months has not been limited to uniformed officials.
Three top officials have been fired in recent weeks, triggered by a leak investigation ordered by Mr Hegseth's chief of staff on 21 March.
The dismissed aides include Dan Caldwell, a long-time colleague of Mr Hegseth who became one of his most trusted advisors.
He was escorted out of the Pentagon last week over leaks for which he denies responsibility.
Also dismissed was Mr Hegseth's deputy chief of staff, Darin Selnick.
Harvard banned from federal grants
Separately, President Trump's education secretary has said Harvard will no longer receive federal grants, escalating an ongoing battle with the prestigious university as it challenges the funding cuts in court.
The Trump administration has for weeks locked horns with Harvard and other higher education institutions over claims they tolerate anti-Semitism on their campuses - threatening their budgets, tax-exempt status and enrolment of foreign students.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, in a letter sent to Harvard's president and posted online, said that the university "should no longer seek GRANTS from the federal government, since none will be provided."
She alleged that Harvard has "failed to abide by its legal obligations, its ethical and fiduciary duties, its transparency responsibilities, and any semblance of academic rigor."
Harvard - routinely ranked among the world's top universities - has drawn Mr Trump's ire by refusing to comply with his demands that it accept government oversight of its admissions, hiring practices and political slant.
That prompted the Trump administration to in mid-April freeze $2.2 billion in federal funding, with a total of $9 billion under review.
Ms McMahon, a former wrestling executive, said that her letter "marks the end of new grants for the University."
Harvard is the wealthiest US university with an endowment valued at $53.2 billion in 2024.
