The US Defense Minister Pete Hegseth has ordered the military and national guard to cut the number of four-star generals by 20 percent. This emerges from a memo that American media have seen>
The cuts will eliminate "excessive structures to optimize and streamline leadership", according to Hegseth.
Besides the four-star generals – the US's highest military rank – Hegseth also wants to cut 10 percent of all other generals.
The US military currently has 38 four-star generals and a total of 817 generals and admirals.
