Hegseth says he’s a change agent at DoD. But details are scarce

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced he will trim the number of senior admirals and generals and also transform the Army to focus on homeland defense and deter China.

But with both efforts, there’s little detail, only a pledge to remove redundant military structure and streamline leadership through the cuts to the number of senior officers. And with the Army? Getting rid of “outdated” programs and spending more on long-range missiles, missile defense, as well as cyber, electronic warfare and counter-space capabilities.

Hegseth this week directed the Pentagon to reduce the number of four-star admirals and generals by a minimum of 20 percent, while also cutting the number of general officers in the National Guard by the same percentage.

“Through these measures, we will uphold our position as the most lethal fighting force in the world, achieving peace through strength and ensuring greater efficiency, innovation and preparedness for any challenge that lies ahead,” he wrote.

There are now more than 800 active duty generals and admirals, a number that has increased during the last five decades. From 1965 to 2023, the number of generals and admirals increased by 31 percent, according to a report last year by the Congressional Research Service. 

“We shouldn’t have any more than we need,” said Greg Williams, director of the Center for Defense Information at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO). Still, as far as Hegseth’s memo, “There’s not a lot of detail. The half-page memo doesn’t articulate a timeline.”

POGO has been writing about the steady increase in the number of admirals and generals since the 1980s, laying out the number of all officers to enlisted personnel.

In one report, they pointed out: In 1939, there was one officer for every 11.7 enlisted men. In 1986, there was one officer for each 5.9 enlisted men. Between 1965 and 2023, the percentage of generals and admirals increased by 31 percent.

The Congressional Research Service said while some argue the increased proportion of generals and admirals is “wasteful,” others counter that the increases are more linked to the military’s greater emphasis on working collectively with other services and allies, along with management, budgeting and program requirements, as well as the use of automated, highly lethal weapons systems that may require fewer personnel.

Williams says one concern is if the cuts in the number of admirals and generals will amount to a “partisan litmus test” to remove those seen as disloyal or those who the Trump Administration claims got their jobs by their race or gender. Hegseth fired Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown, the second African American to hold the job, questioning in his book The War on Warriors whether Brown got the job by merit or his race. Hegseth also fired Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to hold the Navy’s top uniformed job. In both cases, no explanation was given for their removal.

“Secretary Hegseth has shown an eagerness to dismiss military leaders without cause,” said Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee in a statement. “And I will be skeptical of the rationale for these plans until he explains them before the Armed Services Committee.”

Reed said personnel decisions “should be based on facts and analysis and not arbitrary percentages.” And he worried that eliminating positions of experienced officers without such analysis “would not create ‘efficiency’ in the military – it could cripple it.”

Army restructuring

Meanwhile, last week Hegseth sent another memo that centered on transforming the Army.

“I am directing the Secretary of the Army to implement a comprehensive transformation strategy, streamline its force structure, eliminate wasteful spending, reform the acquisition process, modernize inefficient defense contracts, and overcome parochial interests to rebuild our Army, restore the warrior ethos, and reestablish deterrence,” Hegseth wrote. But Hegseth was directing the Army to take on a plan that had already been in the works before his arrival, said a U.S. official, who was not authorized to talk publicly about the Army plan.

The plan calls for the fielding of long-range missiles capable of striking moving land and maritime targets by 2027. That’s the year officials say that China will have the military capability to invade Taiwan. The plan also calls for the Army to field drones in every division by the end of 2026, as well as equipment that can counter enemy drones.

More recently, the Army already has been focusing on how to purchase more drones, and deal with the threat of enemy drones. Last fall, NPR went on an Army training mission to Louisiana, where soldiers and an opposition force played a cat and mouse game with drones.

At the same time, the Army plan calls for scrapping outdated drones as well as what it deems obsolete or redundant, including excess ground vehicles such as Humvees and some manned aircraft.

As far as cuts, the plan calls on the Army to “divest outdated formations,” including armor and aviation units through the active force as well as the Guard and Reserve. Those units have not been named but once they are it will likely incur the wrath of lawmakers – who prize having such units in their states.