بيت هيجسيث يعطي كبار الضباط العسكريين أوامرهم بالسير
طالب بيت هيجسيث الجيش في الخدمة الفعلية بخفض 20 في المائة من جنرالاته من فئة الأربع نجوم في خطوة أخرى نحو تفويض دونالد ترامب لخفض الهدر الحكومي.
كما طلب هيجسيث من الحرس الوطني التخلي عن 20 في المائة من مناصبه العليا ووجه الجيش إلى خفض 10 في المائة إضافية من ضباطه الجنرال وضباط العلم عبر القوة ، والتي يمكن أن تشمل أي نجمة واحدة أو أعلى أو ضابط من رتبة بحرية مماثلة.
وتأتي التخفيضات على رأس أكثر من ستة من كبار الضباط الذين طردهم الرئيس دونالد ترامب أو هيجسيث منذ يناير ، بما في ذلك رئيس هيئة الأركان المشتركة ، الجنرال سي كيو براون جونيور.
كما طردوا المرأتين الوحيدتين اللتين تعملان كضابطتين من فئة الأربع نجوم ، بالإضافة إلى عدد غير متناسب من كبار الضابطات الأخريات.
في الجولات السابقة من إطلاق النار ، قال هيغسيث إن عمليات التصفية كانت "انعكاسا لرغبة الرئيس في أن ينفذ الأشخاص المناسبون من حوله نهج الأمن القومي الذي نريد اتباعه".
بصفته رئيسا للبنتاغون ، روج هيغسيث لجهوده لاستئصال أي برمجة أو قيادة تؤيد التنوع في الرتب ، وحاول إنهاء أفراد الخدمة المتحولين جنسيا وبدأ في تغييرات شاملة لفرض معيار لياقة موحد للمواقع القتالية.
In a memo announcing the cuts Monday, Hegseth said they would remove 'redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership.' He said the aim was to free the military from 'unnecessary bureaucratic layers.'
Adding to the turmoil in the Pentagon, Hegseth in recent weeks has dismissed or transferred multiple close advisers, tightly narrowing his inner circle.
He also has been facing questions from both Democrats and Republicans about his handling of sensitive information and use of the Signal messaging app.
There are about 800 general officers in the military, but only 44 of those are four-star general or flag officers.
The Army has the largest number of general officers, with 219, including eight four-star generals.
The number of general officer positions in the military is set by law.
Members of Congress were not provided with the advance notification they normally would receive on the cuts but were given a 'very brief alert' this afternoon, according to a congressional staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not made public.
The cuts were first reported by CNN.
The Pentagon is under pressure to slash spending and personnel as part of the broader federal government cuts pushed by Trump and ally Elon Musk´s Department of Government Efficiency.
Hegseth last week ordered a sweeping transformation of the Army, including merging or closing headquarters, dumping outdated vehicles and aircraft, slashing as many as 1,000 headquarters staff in the Pentagon and shifting personnel to units in the field.
In a memo released Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the transformation to 'build a leaner, more lethal force.' Discussions about the changes have been going on for weeks, including decisions to combine a number of Army commands.
Col. Dave Butler, an Army spokesman, said the potential savings over five years would be nearly $40 billion.
U.S. officials said as many as 40 general officer slots could be cut as a result of the restructuring. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues.
The changes come as the Pentagon is under pressure to slash spending and personnel as part of the broader federal government cuts pushed by President Donald Trump's administration and ally Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.
In his memo, Hegseth said the Army must eliminate wasteful spending and prioritize improvements to air and missile defense, long-range fires, cyber, electronic warfare and counter-space capabilities.
Specifically, he said the Army must merge Army Futures Command and Training and Doctrine Command into one entity and merge Forces Command, Army North and Army South into a single headquarters 'focused on homeland defense and partnership with our Western Hemisphere allies.'
In addition, he called for the Army to consolidate units, including Joint Munitions Command and Sustainment Command, as well as operations at various depots and arsenals.
Officials said that while the mergers will result in fewer staff positions, there won't be a decrease in the Army's overall size. Instead, soldiers would be shifted to other posts.
Also last week the Army confirmed that there will be a military parade on Trump´s birthday in June, as part of the celebration around the service´s 250th birthday. Officials say it will cost tens of millions of dollars.