As Defense Secretary, Hegseth’s word is law at the Pentagon. And now he’s cleaning house.
Because he has decided to lay down the law with a massive layoff campaign.
Forging a Leaner, Deadlier Army
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has launched an ambitious overhaul of the U.S. Army, issuing a directive on Wednesday to Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll. The plan demands a rapid transformation to eliminate inefficiencies and sharpen combat readiness. “To build a leaner, more lethal force, the Army must transform at an accelerated pace by divesting outdated, redundant, and inefficient programs, as well as restructuring headquarters and acquisition systems,” the memo states.
This sweeping strategy prioritizes cutting-edge capabilities critical to modern warfare. Hegseth emphasizes investments in long-range precision fires, air and missile defense systems like the Golden Dome for America, cyber operations, electronic warfare, and counter-space technologies.
The goal is to align the Army with the Trump administration’s national security vision, ensuring resources are laser-focused on enhancing lethality.
Hegseth’s directive tackles the Army’s bloated organizational structure head-on. The memo mandates merging Army Futures Command and Training and Doctrine Command into a single, streamlined entity. This consolidation aims to eliminate redundancies and sharpen strategic focus.
Similarly, U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South are to be fused into a unified Force Command dedicated to homeland defense. These structural changes are designed to “generate combat power capable of synchronizing kinetic and non-kinetic fires,” according to the memo. By reducing bureaucratic layers, Hegseth seeks to create a more agile force capable of responding to evolving threats.
Slashing Waste and Legacy Systems
The transformation also targets fiscal waste, a key focus for Hegseth. The memo calls for slashing funding for outdated and unnecessary systems, including legacy sustainment programs that drain resources. Excessive travel budgets and what Hegseth considers wasteful contracts are also in the crosshairs.
Notably, the directive singles out climate-related initiatives as misaligned with military priorities, reflecting Hegseth’s push to reallocate funds to combat-focused programs.
This aggressive cost-cutting points to an effort to redirect the Army’s budget toward technologies and strategies that enhance battlefield dominance.
Hegseth’s reforms extend to personnel policies, aiming to overhaul how the Army recruits, retains, and promotes talent. The memo mandates revitalizing firing procedures to ensure only the most capable remain in service. It also calls for reducing the number of general officer roles to streamline leadership.
Central to this overhaul is a shift toward merit-based prioritization, a move tied to Hegseth’s vocal criticism of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. He argues these programs dilute military effectiveness, and his directive seeks to refocus the Army on performance-driven standards to maximize lethality.
A Bold Vision for the Army’s Future
Hegseth frames his reforms as a historic necessity as the Army approaches its 250th anniversary.
“As the Army prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, our Nation requires her Army to move further, faster, and fight harder than any other force on Earth. President Trump and I will not let this Nation down,” he declared in the memo.
This transformation signals a clear break from past practices, aligning the Army with the Trump administration’s emphasis on strength and efficiency. By streamlining operations, cutting waste, and prioritizing combat readiness, Hegseth aims to forge an Army poised to dominate future battlefields.
