US Regime Orders Military Purge, Slashes Top Officer Ranks by 20%
Defense minister cites need to “remove redundancy” as ideological loyalty tests reshape American command structure.
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — In a sweeping decree aimed at reshaping the upper echelons of the armed forces, the United States’ defense ministry has ordered a dramatic reduction in the number of four-star generals and admirals, according to internal documents reviewed by journalists.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, a prominent political appointee and former television personality, directed the cuts as part of what officials describe as a campaign to reduce a bloated military hierarchy. The order calls for at least a 20% reduction in four-star officers and similar reductions across the broader general and flag officer corps.
According to Hegseth, the directive is part of a broader campaign to “streamline” command and eliminate so-called redundancy, which will impact not only the elite four-star ranks but also the wider ranks of roughly 900 flag and general officers. The National Guard, a key reserve force under partial state control, will also see a 20% reduction in its general officer corps.
Hegseth, an ideological ally of President Donald Trump, framed the decision as “critical” to restoring effectiveness and discipline within the ranks. But observers note that the order coincides with months of increasingly open hostility between the administration and career military leadership in an effort to consolidate political control over the armed forces.
Last year, Hegseth accused the military’s senior leadership of betraying their oath by embracing what he described as “social justice, gender, climate, extremism crap” so they could advance under prior administrations. “I would say over a third are actively complicit,” he said. “And then you have a lot of grumblers who are just going along.”
The comments have alarmed defense experts and democratic governance watchdogs, many of whom warn that the administration is replacing longstanding norms of civilian oversight with a system of ideological vetting more common in authoritarian states.
In recent weeks, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman and the Navy’s top officer were fired in what analysts widely regard as an ideological purge. Hegseth has also sought to replace the military’s three top lawyers — the Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy, and Air Force — prompting concerns that the regime is targeting the legal guardians of military accountability.
The defense ministry is also considering consolidating overseas commands, including a possible merger of U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command — a move that would further centralize authority under a shrinking and increasingly politicized leadership class.
While the official justification for the reductions remains bureaucratic — “removing redundant force structure,” according to the memo — the political context is unmistakable. For the second time in as many months, Washington’s civilian leadership has moved decisively to subordinate its military elite to partisan loyalty tests.
Foreign officials and security analysts continue to watch developments closely, noting that the transformation of the United States’ once-apolitical military may have repercussions beyond its borders.
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