{
  "id": 10795947,
  "title": "Hegseth targets military's top brass for deeper cuts: Officials",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/hegseth-targets-militarys-top-brass-for-deeper-cuts-officials",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T22:27:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News (US)",
    "slug": "abc-news-us",
    "url": "https://abcnews.com/Politics/hegseth-targets-militarys-top-brass-deeper-cuts-officials/story?id=136867592"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to propose a 20% reduction in the number of generals and admirals in the military, doubling the 10% cut he announced last year. The announcement is expected to be made during Hegseth's State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Wednesday. This move is part of a broader effort to reduce the senior ranks of the military. Hegseth made a similar announcement last year at the same address, where he criticized what he deemed as declining standards in the military, including the presence of \"beardos\" and \"fat generals\". He also addressed cultural issues such as identity months, DEI offices, and transgender service members. This year, the military is expected to nominate mostly junior and mid-ranking troops for the cuts, who must be in compliance with military fitness and body fat standards. The exact implementation of the cuts and their potential impact on day-to-day military operations remain unclear. The military has already been reducing senior officer numbers by consolidating commands and organizations, allowing some positions previously held by multiple generals or admirals to be overseen by one. This could result in dozens of roles being removed by January. Hegseth has previously fired or sidelined several top officers without providing public explanations for these decisions.",
  "summary": "It is unclear exactly how the new cuts will be carried out, or whether such a dramatic reduction amid the Iran war would disrupt day-to-day military operations.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}