QUANTICO, Va. (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. military will cut 20% of its generals and admirals as he delivered what he is calling his "State of the Force" address.
Hegseth is expected to deliver an address at 3 p.m. EDT. Watch live in our video player above. [...] The Pentagon chief, however, again focused on how he has drastically retooled the U.S. military by targeting what he calls "woke" culture — through a rollback of diversity programs, a review of ground combat units with female troops and a new screening program for "testosterone deficiency" among male personnel.
READ MORE: Speaker Johnson recesses House early, blocking Massie's push to impeach Hegseth [...] Pentagon officials had previewed that Hegseth would announce more cuts to the number of generals and admirals. He directed all military services to double the 10% reduction he ordered last spring for roughly 800 flag and general officer positions, making it a total 20% decrease to be completed by Jan. 1, 2027.
"I call it accountability and long overdue," he said.
Several senators viewed Hegseth's move as nothing short of a "purge" of the military's top ranks that will take years to rebuild.
