Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has either fired myriad senior officers, or blocked the promotions of more than 80 generals and admirals during his tenure, reimagining the Pentagon at a rapid pace. This turnover is not a single event but three overlapping ones. Hegseth is cutting the number of senior positions by policy, removing sitting commanders, and personally intervening in the promotion lists that determine who will lead the military years from now. This week, after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll's resignation, criticism began coming from within his own party. Measured against the first 19 months of the Biden administration and of President Donald Trump's first term, no recent defense secretary has reshaped the top ranks at this pace.
Counting the Departures
A statistic that has drawn the most attention—more than 80 generals and admirals—is not simply a count of officers who have left. It combines those who were fired or pushed into early retirement with those selected for promotion by military boards and then removed before advancing. According to Pentagon data highlighted in a Congressional Research Service framework, there were 838 active-duty generals and admirals.
Daniel P. Driscoll, a nominee for the position of US Secretary of the Army, before the US Senate Armed Services Committee. Wikimedia Commons
