Dude, Defense Secretary Hegseth Has Goons Lining Up to Be Booted
Domestic Political Scene |
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) - Pete the Pete, a.k.a. Defense Secretary Hegseth, just dropped some big news on Monday: the active duty military's gentlemen of the four-star variety need to start finding a new gig, as the Trump regime's cost-cutting measures translate to a 20% trim across the board.
But it ain't just top dogs getting the ax; Hegseth's got his eyes on the National Guard too, calling for a 20% cut of the top echelon positions. To top it off, he told the military to shave an additional 10% off general and flag officers, potentially affecting any and all one-star and above, or equivalent Navy gents with the rank of the flag.
This move comes hot on the heels of the prez and Hegseth knocking out more than half a dozen top-tier generals since 2025. That's right, folks—you got fired, Gen. CQ Brown Jr., and you, too, the only two rent-a-cops serving as four-star officers, as well as a decent chunk of senior females in your ranks. In the past, Hegseth labeled these terminations as a reflection of the president wanting the right crew on deck to carry out their national security shenanigans.
As the glorified dude broker of the Pentagon, Hegseth's been boasting about weeding out any bureaucrats who embrace diversity and pairing off transgendered service members faster than two hounds on the scent. He's also been slapping reforms on the combat fitness requirements.
Recent weeks have seen Hegseth booting or relocating several of his close homies, tightening up his bro-code inner circle real nice. Additionally, there's been some chatter about his mistreatment of sensitive intel and strange Signal app usage. Both Republican and Democrat lawmakers have tossed questions his way about these allegations.
Officially, there are around 800 generals across the forces. However, the military-specific pecking order has only 44 generals or flag officers in that esteemed bracket. The Army stands as the big kahuna in this group, with 219 generals in tow, including eight four-star types.
Congressional staff revealed that they were originally excluded from the usual advance heads-up about these cuts. Instead, they received a quickie heads-up in the early afternoon.
These Pentagon cuts are part of a broader federal spending and personnel reduction push led by President Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.
Last week, Hegseth threw down the gauntlet for the Army, pushing for a mean-n-lean restructuring to create "a leaner, more lethal force," which included snuffing outdated vehicles and aircraft, flushing some 1,000 Pentagon headquarters pettifoggers, and shifting resources to field units.
In more birthday joy, the Army also announced a military parade will take place in June, as part of the hoopla surrounding the service's 250th birthday. Officials say it will cost tens of millions of bucks.
Lolita C. Baldor chipped in for this report.
P.S. While Hegseth is busy bulking up the military, there's been no recent evidence of him knocking out generals as many fear. However, he's been making waves with some sketchy messaging practices, questionable dismissals of buddies, and controversies regarding diversity and transgender policies.
- Defense Secretary Hegseth announced a 20% reduction across the board in the active duty military, affecting top-tier generals, National Guard positions, and general and flag officers.
- Hegseth is known for his efforts to weed out bureaucrats who embrace diversity and pairing off transgendered service members.
- The military-specific pecking order has only 44 generals or flag officers, with the Army having the most, including eight four-star generals.
- Congressional staff were originally excluded from advanced notice about these cuts and only received a last-minute heads-up.
- These Pentagon cuts are part of a broader federal spending and personnel reduction push led by President Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.
- Hegseth recently proposed a restructuring of the Army to create a "leaner, more lethal force," which includes disposing of outdated vehicles and aircraft, removing 1,000 Pentagon headquarters bureaucrats, and reallocating resources to field units.
- In addition to these military changes, the Army announced a military parade scheduled for June to celebrate its 250th birthday, which is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars.
- While Hegseth has been making headlines with questionable dismissals of friends, controversies regarding diversity and transgender policies, there is currently no recent evidence of him knocking out generals as many fear.
- This report was contributed to by Lolita C. Baldor.
