SecDef wields axe to brass, HQs, formations to fashion leaner Army
By Jen Judson
Thursday, May 1, 2025
The secretary of defense has ordered the Army secretary to cut programs, reduce the number of general officers in the ranks and consolidate offices, commands and headquarters, including a four-star command formed in the previous Trump administration designed to reform its acquisition process.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to “implement a comprehensive transformation strategy, streamline its force structure, eliminate wasteful spending, reform acquisition, modernize inefficient defense contracts, and overcome parochial interests to rebuild our Army, restore the warrior ethos and reestablish deterrence,” he wrote in a memo published Wednesday.
“To build a leaner, more lethal force, the Army must transform at an accelerated pace by divesting outdated, redundant, and inefficient programs, as well as restructuring headquarters and acquisition systems,” Hegseth stated.
The Army should prioritize long-range precision fires and air and missile defense, including Golden Dome — Trump’s planned architecture to defend the homeland from missile threats — as well as cyber, electronic warfare and counter-space capabilities, the memo lists.
https://www.defensenews.com/land/2025/05/01/secdef-wields-axe-to-brass-hqs-formations-to-fashion-leaner-army/
