[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f26x5xfyt767k7":3},{"_id":4,"slug":5,"title":6,"subtitle":7,"kind":8,"cards":9,"tags":57,"categories":59,"source":61,"lang":64,"author":65,"audioState":68,"stats":69,"publishedAt":72,"renderer":73},"6abc6a28ca21c797c7e9eb52","the-military-may-be-top-heavy-dont-make-things-worse-with-ha-52ed4f58","The military may be top-heavy. Don't make things worse with hasty cuts.","Congress should closely monitor Hegseth’s latest effort to reduce the number of generals and admirals.","news",[10,12,17,22,27,32,37,42,47,52],{"headline":6,"body":7,"imageUrl":11,"sourceImageUrl":11},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.defenseone.com\u002Fmedia\u002Fimg\u002Fcd\u002F2026\u002F09\u002F29\u002FGettyImages_2286526558\u002Fopen-graph.jpg",{"headline":13,"body":14,"imageUrl":15,"images":16},"News broke Tuesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth","News broke Tuesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning to order the elimination of one-fifth of the U.S. military’s general and flag billets. There is a legitimate case for examining whether the Armed Forces have have become too top-heavy. There is also a legitimate reason to be concerned about how reductions in the senior officer corps are carried out.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fthe-military-may-be-top-heavy-dont-make-things-worse-with-ha-52ed4f58\u002F1.webp",{"local":15},{"headline":18,"body":19,"imageUrl":20,"images":21},"For more than 20 years, I worked as","For more than 20 years, I worked as a federal contractor operating mission-critical facilities supporting the Defense Department, State Department, and federal law-enforcement agencies. That experience gave me an appreciation for something that can be difficult to quantify on an organizational chart: institutional knowledge.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fthe-military-may-be-top-heavy-dont-make-things-worse-with-ha-52ed4f58\u002F2.webp",{"local":20},{"headline":23,"body":24,"imageUrl":25,"images":26},"Large organizations accumulate layers of management. The military","Large organizations accumulate layers of management. The military is not immune. Headquarters expand, responsibilities overlap, and positions created to meet one requirement sometimes remain long after circumstances change.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fthe-military-may-be-top-heavy-dont-make-things-worse-with-ha-52ed4f58\u002F3.webp",{"local":25},{"headline":28,"body":29,"imageUrl":30,"images":31},"Congress recognized this issue well before the current","Congress recognized this issue well before the current administration. In 2017, lawmakers reduced the authorized number of active-duty general and flag officer positions by about 11 percent. They also ordered a comprehensive look at whether another 10 percent of flag jobs might be cut, and if so, which ones.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fthe-military-may-be-top-heavy-dont-make-things-worse-with-ha-52ed4f58\u002F4.webp",{"local":30},{"headline":33,"body":34,"imageUrl":35,"images":36},"This is important context for today's debate: concern","This is important context for today's debate: concern about “rank creep” did not suddenly appear in 2025, nor is questioning the number of generals and admirals inherently an attack on military leadership. It is a legitimate management and national-security question. But it is only the beginning of the analysis.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fthe-military-may-be-top-heavy-dont-make-things-worse-with-ha-52ed4f58\u002F5.webp",{"local":35},{"headline":38,"body":39,"imageUrl":40,"images":41},"In May 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed","In May 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed a minimum 20 percent reduction in active-component four-star positions, a minimum 20 percent reduction in National Guard general officers, and an additional minimum 10 percent reduction in general and flag officers associated with restructuring the Unified Command Plan. That order came amid broader cuts to the defense civilian workforce, a campaign noted for a lack of planning and consequent disruption.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fthe-military-may-be-top-heavy-dont-make-things-worse-with-ha-52ed4f58\u002F6.webp",{"local":40},{"headline":43,"body":44,"imageUrl":45,"images":46},"Hegseth’s new order to cut 20 percent of","Hegseth’s new order to cut 20 percent of general and flag billets reportedly comes with a similarly tight deadline: Jan. 1.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fthe-military-may-be-top-heavy-dont-make-things-worse-with-ha-52ed4f58\u002F7.webp",{"local":45},{"headline":48,"body":49,"imageUrl":50,"images":51},"The question Congress and the American public should","The question Congress and the American public should be asking is not simply, \"How many generals can we eliminate?\" It should be: Which positions does the military need to accomplish its mission, and what happens when those positions and the officers who fill them disappear?","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fthe-military-may-be-top-heavy-dont-make-things-worse-with-ha-52ed4f58\u002F8.webp",{"local":50},{"headline":53,"body":54,"imageUrl":55,"images":56},"There is an enormous difference between eliminating an","There is an enormous difference between eliminating an unnecessary headquarters position and losing an experienced operational commander. There is a difference between removing a redundant layer of administration and disrupting the succession of officers being prepared for increasingly demanding commands. And there is a difference between making an organization leaner and simply making it smaller.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fthe-military-may-be-top-heavy-dont-make-things-worse-with-ha-52ed4f58\u002F9.webp",{"local":55},[58],"energy",[60],"Business & Money",{"name":62,"url":63},"Defense One","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.defenseone.com\u002Fideas\u002F2026\u002F09\u002Fhegseth-military-cut-generals-admirals\u002F416326\u002F","en",{"handle":66,"displayName":67},"spots","Spots","queued",{"views":70,"likes":71,"saves":71,"shares":71,"completions":71,"opens":71,"skips":71,"depthSum":71},1,0,"2026-09-30T01:47:20.174Z","local"]