Hegseth expected to fire more top ranking US military
Roughly 20 admirals and generals have already either been fired or resigned since Hegseth took over the defence department.
Hegseth expected to fire more top ranking US military
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to announce the dismissal of 20% of admirals and generals across the US Armed Forces, according to US media.
The announcement is expected on Wednesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, following an earlier round of personnel cuts in 2025.
There are more than 800 active-duty generals and admirals across the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, according to the latest defence department tally.
The last time Hegseth brought military leaders together at Quantico, in September 2025, he attacked the department as too "woke" and criticised its leaders for being out of shape, saying "fat generals and admirals" is "a bad look".
Hegseth's expected firings are the latest step in a wider overhaul of the US military under his leadership, aimed at introducing what he calls a "war fighter ethos" into the defence department, including a rebrand that refers to it as the Department of War.
According to the BBC's news partner, CBS News, at least 20 generals, admirals and civilian military leaders have been fired or have resigned since Hegseth became defence secretary.
That includes the dismissal of the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and top uniformed officials in the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Federal law limits the number of general and flag officers. There is no requirement that vacant positions be filled.
In the midst of the shakeup, Hegseth has also been accused by several civil rights groups, including the NAACP and the National Women's Law Center, of blocking the military promotions of black people and women.
Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona, told reporters on Tuesday that Hegseth was "in the process of purging the upper echelon of the military from its best leaders".
"We need strong leaders. These folks have decades of experience, some of the best leadership our military has ever had. He's getting rid of them," Kelly said.
A report from the Congressional Research Service in May said there were some drawbacks to having too many senior leaders at the top.
These include the greater cost of employing top-ranked servicemembers compared with lower-ranking officers, and the possibility of "slow down decisionmaking processes".
Hegseth's reduction of the US military's top brass also comes as the US-Israel war with Iran enters its seventh month, draining ammunition stockpiles.