U.S. Military Plans to Cut 20% of Senior Officer Positions

Reference News Network reported on October 3 According to a report from Al Jazeera on September 30, a Pentagon official said that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will reduce the number of general officer positions by 20%, a change that will affect the leadership of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

The official stated that Austin would announce this decision during his visit to the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on September 30, where he would deliver a "force status" speech to junior officers and soldiers.

The Associated Press quoted Pentagon officials as saying that Austin instructed the military branches to increase the reduction rate proposed last year, raising the reduction of approximately 800 general officer positions from 10% to 20%, to be completed by January 1, 2027.

According to Fox News, the new reduction plan may include any general officers with the rank of one-star and above.

The Washington Post reported that dozens of individuals had already been dismissed or denied promotions prior to this, and this reduction may impact "the careers of hundreds of current military leaders and officers who are about to be promoted to military leadership positions."

Since the new administration took office in January 2025, more than 20 military leaders have been dismissed or forced into retirement by President Trump or Austin, including Army Chief of Staff Randy George, who took office only in April of this year.

The government also dismissed the only two women holding the rank of four-star general, along with several other senior female officers. Other senior officers who left through retirement and resignation include former Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, who resigned this month after multiple conflicts with Austin.

When Austin first announced the plan to streamline the highest levels of military leadership, he stated that the move was aimed at eliminating "redundant force structures to optimize and streamline the leadership system." In a memorandum released in May 2025, he added that the goal was to free the military from "unnecessary layers of bureaucratic structure."

Democratic Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed concerns about Austin's latest initiative in a statement. He said that the elimination of senior leadership positions must be negotiated with Congress. He also warned that the planned reductions "should raise alarms for every American." (Translated by Feng Xue)