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WASHINGTON — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is eyeing yet another purge at the Pentagon aimed at gutting bureaucracy by slashing 20% of general and admiral roles, a department official told The Post.
The Pentagon honcho is expected to unveil those plans during his State of the Force address at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va., on Wednesday, doubling the 10% reduction he called for last year.
Hegseth already greenlit the plan to dramatically slash flag officer and general positions across the Air Force, Army, and Navy earlier this month, with a target of completing that by Jan. 1 of next year.
Fox News first reported Hegseth’s plans.
Throughout his tenure atop the Pentagon, Hegseth has purged over two dozen top officials, which has drawn congressional scrutiny. The Army veteran has also railed against so-called “fat generals” and “beardos.”
He has rolled out new waist-to-height and revamped grooming rules.
Last year, Hegseth ordered a 10% reduction in general and flag officer positions as well as a 20% cut in National Guard general officers and active-duty four-star positions.
“This is not a slash-and-burn exercise meant to punish high-ranking officers,” Hegseth contended during an address to the military last year.
“This has been a deliberative process, working with the Joint Chiefs of Staff with one goal: maximizing strategic readiness and operational effectiveness by making prudent reductions in the general and flag officer ranks.”
He called for “less generals, more GIs.”
The Secretary of War argued that those reductions were needed to streamline the military and give military personnel closer to the battlefield more authority.
That rare summoning of top military brass to Quantico last year had spooked critics and observers, as it was an unusual move.
During his upcoming State of the Force address, Hegseth is expected to lay out his priorities for the Pentagon and give his assessment of the country’s military readiness.
There had been 809 active-duty flag officers back on Sept. 30, 2023, which was below the ceiling of 857, per the Congressional Research Service.
