OPINION:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may not be everyone’s favorite messenger, but his message, delivered last week in his “State of the Force” speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico deserves serious consideration.
Mr. Hegseth proposed to double last year’s 10% cut to about 800 general officer and flag officer (GO/FO) positions in the U.S. military by January 2027.
It is not a bad idea.
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The U.S. military is top-heavy. In some areas, there are just too many generals and admirals. Of the 857 active-duty general and admiral billets, as authorized by federal law, 851 were filled as of July 31.
That’s a lot of stars while the rank-and-file fight over recruiting, housing and maintenance budgets.
Cutting red tape in a high-stakes, always-changing military environment where threats and risks often demand a rapid response is not just smart; it’s obligatory. Pushing authority down the chain of command makes sense too.
But while eliminating redundant headquarters, reducing layers of bureaucracy, empowering subordinates and giving commanders more responsibility can have positive implications, it all poses risks to readiness.
It is all about how Mr. Hegseth envisions implementing his initiative. Operational commanders and those with joint/coalition coordination responsibilities should not be part of the 20% cut. Including them could hurt not only readiness, but also America’s relationships with global allies and partners.
We do not want to end up shrinking the pool of experienced senior commanders and/or robbing those commanders of warfighting capacity.
To create a leaner, faster, more capable U.S. military (and give Mr. Hegseth’s reform measure a real chance), Congress must play its critical role of oversight. It must dictate where cuts are made and then seriously assessment of the impact on readiness over time.
The problem is not necessarily the percentage of GO/FO cuts. It is whether the percentage chosen is arbitrary or based on a careful review of every one of those billets.
Mr. Hegseth assures us that it is the latter, but Congress must verify — not only to ensure the success of this important reform initiative, but to counter the accusation that the whole effort is politically motivated.
BILAL Y. SAAB
Senior managing director, TRENDS US
Washington
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