Military chiefs ruling over regional fiefdoms are the problem

In his recent “State of the Force” address, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a 20% reduction to the number of general and flag officers, affecting an estimated 800 positions scheduled for January 1, 2027. His sharpest critics see this as ranging from sycophantic revenge on the general officer class to simply misguided personnel policy. Hegseth defined it in his speech as “accountability and long overdue.” That accountability he’s referring to speaks to a symptom of a much larger problem within the general officer class, a feeling that our nation’s military leaders at times get over the