Hegseth orders 20% cut in US generals, launches new drone command

Pete Hegseth announced deeper cuts to US generals and admirals while unveiling a new drone warfare command. The move sharpens the Pentagon's technological pivot even as the Iran war, stockpile strain and congressional doubts intensify.

In Short

• Hegseth set a January 2027 deadline for reducing senior military ranks
• A new four-star command will drive drones, robotics and autonomous warfare
• The announcement comes as US forces remain stuck in conflict with Iran

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the military will cut 20 per cent of its generals and admirals by January 1, 2027, and set up a new four-star command to expand drone, autonomous and robotic warfare capabilities. In what he called his "State of the Force" address, Hegseth also defended broader changes he has made to the military as the US remains locked in a war with Iran.

Speaking to junior officers and enlisted leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, Hegseth outlined the cuts and the new command while also highlighting the Trump administration's efforts to boost weapons production. His speech came seven months into the war with Iran, with no clear end in sight, and after a series of other US actions worldwide, including the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in Latin America that killed more than 200 people.

The speech itself is unusual for a Pentagon chief. While previous defence secretaries have regularly addressed troops and senior officers, those interactions have largely taken place in smaller or private settings. Hegseth has now delivered such an address for the second year in a row.

He again opened by pointing to what he described as a major reshaping of the US military, including moves against what he calls "woke" culture. These steps have included rolling back diversity programmes, reviewing ground combat units with female troops and starting a new screening programme for "testosterone deficiency" among male personnel.

Pentagon officials had earlier said Hegseth would announce more cuts to the number of generals and admirals. He has now directed all military services to double the 10 per cent reduction he ordered last spring for about 800 flag and general officer posts, taking the total cut to 20 per cent. "I call it accountability and long overdue," he said.

Hegseth also announced a new four-star command to oversee the rollout of autonomous and robotic capabilities, describing it as "the fastest peacetime shift in modern military history". The move comes a month after officials said an Army unit in Europe that specialised in drone warfare had been told to return to being a traditional infantry battalion, ending its effort to learn and use battlefield technology. A bipartisan group of US lawmakers later asked the Army to explain that order as battlefields change rapidly and tactics increasingly rely on uncrewed systems.

The new drone command is being announced as the US remains in a stalemate with Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy shipping route. The war has forced US forces in the region to use hundreds of costly missile interceptors to defend against Iranian missile and drone attacks, which have still killed and wounded American troops. Hegseth repeated claims that the US military had destroyed Iran's navy, air force and defence systems, as well as many of its leaders and its industrial base. But Iran has continued to launch intermittent drone and missile attacks on US or allied bases in the region while retaining the ability to strike commercial and military ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

During the speech, Hegseth pointed to the Trump administration's major investments in the defence industry and its push for contractors to speed up work to expand US weapons stockpiles. But experts say military contractors will need at least three years to replenish key systems that have been heavily used in the Iran war.

Lawmakers have raised questions about both the war and the latest reduction in top military ranks. Some members of Congress have described the cuts as a "purge" of senior leadership that could take years to undo. "He's got some kind of like deep-seated grievance about leadership in the military," said Senator Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, a former Navy combat pilot and NASA astronaut. "He's purging a generation of great leaders of the military, and it's going to take a generation to recover from it." Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he wanted to understand Hegseth's reasoning. "If it's simply a matter of eliminating a very heavy top, there may be some validity to it, but I want to see it first," Rounds said.

Trump or Hegseth have already fired or pushed into retirement more than two dozen military leaders since taking office, including the Army's top uniformed officer, General Randy George, a move that angered both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. Those leaving have also included several senior officers who are women or people of colour. As part of last year's cuts, Hegseth ordered the active duty military to cut 20 per cent of its four-star generals, the highest-ranking officers, and the National Guard to cut 20 per cent of its top posts, though it is unclear whether all those reductions have been completed. The latest cuts may apply to any one-star general or above, or the equivalent Navy rank. The number of general officer positions is fixed by law, but posts can be left vacant by not sending replacement names to Congress.

In sum, Hegseth used his address to announce deeper cuts in senior ranks, unveil a new drone-focused command and defend wider changes in the military, even as the US faces a continuing war with Iran, pressure on weapons stockpiles and growing questions from lawmakers.

With PTI Inputs

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