{
  "id": 11051121,
  "title": "Hegseth says US slashes number of generals, admirals by 20%",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/hegseth-says-us-slashes-number-of-generals-admirals-by-20-11051121",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T21:59:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2026/10/01/hegseth-says-us-slashes-number-of-generals-admirals-by-20"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that the US military has reduced the number of its generals and admirals by 20%, aiming for accountability. Hegseth attributed the cuts to officers who did not align with his efforts to focus the military on war-fighting rather than previous administrations' \"woke\" policies. He stated that the reductions amounted to a 20% decrease in the overall number of general officer slots. The cuts, which included a 10% reduction in the number of generals and admirals across the force, were revealed during a speech at the Quantico military base. Hegseth emphasized that the changes resulted in a more disciplined, focused, and committed military force, discarding what he called \"fat, trannies, beardos, weirdos, wimps, and radicals.\" The Pentagon confirmed the cuts but did not provide further clarification on whether the 20% reduction had been fully completed.",
  "summary": "The US defence secretary says the move targets officers who failed to get on board with efforts to ensure the military is focused on war-fighting.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Hegseth confirms that the US military will cut 20% of its generals and admirals",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/hegseth-confirms-that-the-us-military-will-cut-20-of-its-generals-and",
        "published": "2026-09-30T19:25:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Hegseth says US cut number of generals, admirals by 20 per cent",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/hegseth-says-us-cut-number-of-generals-admirals-by-20-per-cent",
        "published": "2026-09-30T19:29:52.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Hegseth announces 20% cut of generals, admirals from Pentagon",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/hegseth-announces-20-cut-of-generals-admirals-from-pentagon",
        "published": "2026-09-30T21:41:43.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Hegseth says US slashes number of generals, admirals by 20%",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/hegseth-says-us-slashes-number-of-generals-admirals-by-20",
        "published": "2026-09-30T21:59:49.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}