US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to announce a 20% reduction in billets for one- to four-star generals and admirals during a Sept. 30 speech at Quantico, Virginia, according to two US officials. The plan would expand on the minimum 10% cut Hegseth laid out in 2025, with some future positions downgraded in rank and others cancelled rather than filled through dismissals. The armed services have been directed to complete the reductions by Jan. 1, 2027. Separately, a Hegseth-signed Pentagon memo said the Department of Defence will no longer appoint civilians to tenured college faculty positions at the US Military Service Academies, framing the change as a refocus on warfighting.