About 170 active-duty general and admiral billets would be eliminated by Jan. 1, cutting the current total to roughly 680 senior officers in command roles.
Pete Hegseth is set to detail the plan Wednesday in Quantico after arguing the military is too top-heavy; some posts would be downgraded to colonels or Navy captains, while others would disappear.
Federal law authorizes 857 active-duty general and admiral billets, with 851 filled as of July 31, so the overhaul could require regulatory or legislative changes for jobs tied to specific ranks.
Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the move should alarm Americans and demanded written justification, warning it could disrupt command continuity during operations against Iran and amid rivalry with China.