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Brendan Cole and John Feng
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A proposed overhaul of the U.S. military would cut its number of regional headquarters and cull generals and admirals, according to a U.S. media report.
Citing people familiar with the matter, The Washington Post reported that senior Pentagon officials were looking to downsize some of its military headquarters and shift the balance of power among its top brass.
The Pentagon told Newsweek in a statement Tuesday it would not comment on "rumored internal discussions."
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Why It Matters
If implemented, the proposal would mean the biggest shake-up of the U.S. military for decades.
The proposals also appear to be in keeping with the Trump administration’s strategy to shift resources from the Middle East and Europe, and to place more of a focus on the Western Hemisphere, as outlined by the National Security Strategy released earlier this month.
What To Know
Senior Pentagon officials are preparing to reshape how the U.S. military is organized and commanded, in a proposal that will be presented to Hegseth by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, The Post reported.
As Newsweek’s map shows, the plan would reduce the number of combatant commands—the military’s top operational headquarters—from eleven to eight. U.S. Central Command, European Command and Africa Command would operate under U.S. International Command.
Meanwhile, Northern Command and Southern Command, which oversee Latin America and the Caribbean, would be merged under a new headquarters called U.S. Americas Command, or Americom.
The idea of a separate Arctic Command reporting to Americom had been mooted, but that option appears to have been dropped, it was reported.
The remaining combatant commands would include Indo-Pacific Command, Cyber Command, Space Command, Strategic Command, Transportation Command and Special Operations Command, according to the paper.
The plans would also decrease the number of four-star generals and admirals who report directly to Hegseth.
They are also intended to speed decision-making and adaptation among military commanders, according to a defense official who told the paper there was "decay" in how the U.S. military commands and controls troops.
The Pentagon told Newsweek it would not comment "on leaked documents that we cannot authenticate," adding that everyone in the defense department was "working to achieve the same goal under this administration.”
However, the plans align with the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy released this month, which was seen as reinforcing a pivot away from Europe, the Middle East and China, towards Latin America and the Caribbean.
Retired Vice Admiral Robert Murrett told Newsweek that the security strategy’s inherent criticism of the U.S.'s allies in Europe, contrasted with a strong embrace of Middle Eastern nations and outreach to Russia, could cause reverberations for years to come.
Murrett, professor of practice at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, said that the lack of concern and "soft language regarding China" and the impact on regional allies in the Pacific will likely diminish the U.S.'s ability to influence events in the Far East and balance its global strategic risk.
What People Are Saying
The Washington Post: "Senior Pentagon officials are preparing a plan to downgrade several of the U.S. military’s major headquarters and shift the balance of power among its top generals."
The Pentagon told Newsweek in a statement: "As a matter of Department of War policy, we will not comment on leaked documents that we cannot authenticate and rumored internal discussions, as well as specifics of architectural discussion or pre-decisional matters. Beyond this, any insinuation there is a divide within the Department is completely false—everyone in the Department is working to achieve the same goal under this administration.”
Chuck Hagel, former U.S. defense secretary, cast doubt on the wisdom of the proposals, telling The Post: "You want commands that have the capability of heading off problems before they become big problems, and I think you lose some of that when you unify or consolidate too many."
Retired Vice Admiral Robert Murrett said of the U.S. National Security Strategy: "There will be reverberations for years to come and possible near term security challenges, since the NSS represents such a strong departure from decades of U.S. and allied strategy and foreign policy."
What Happens Next
The Pentagon has shared few details with U.S. Congress so far and lawmakers have responded by requiring the Defense Department to submit a detailed assessment of its costs, risks and alliance implications, The Post reported.
It added that under the annual defense policy bill, funding to implement the changes would be withheld until at least 60 days after Congress receives a blueprint of the plans.
Any changes would need the approval of Hegseth and President Donald Trump, and would be part of the Pentagon’s Unified Command Plan.
Update 12/16/25, 3:42 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with a Pentagon statement.
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