WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued guidance to eliminate large swaths of the general and flag officer positions in the U.S. military. The directive would eliminate the positions for 20% of active-duty four-star generals and admirals, 20% of all general officers in the National Guard, and 10% of all other active-duty general and flag officers.

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement in response:

“I have always advocated for efficiency at the Department of Defense, but tough personnel decisions should be based on facts and analysis, not arbitrary percentages. Eliminating the positions of many of our most skilled and experienced officers without sound justification would not create ‘efficiency’ in the military – it could cripple it. Secretary Hegseth has shown an eagerness to dismiss military leaders without cause, and I will be skeptical of the rationale for these plans until he explains them before the Armed Services Committee.”