Hegseth could soon fire or remove generals and senior officers, US officials say

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is considering firing or removing generals and senior officers as early as this week, according to multiple U.S. and congressional officials.

A list has been circulated on Capitol Hill that contains generals and senior officers who could be fired or removed, the officials said.

NBC News first reported the list Wednesday afternoon.

Hegseth, days before President Donald Trump nominated him to lead the Defense Department, said in November that "woke" officials needed to be uprooted from the DOD.

"First of all, you've got to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs," Hegseth said in an appearance on the "Shawn Ryan Show."

"But any general that was involved -- general, admiral, whatever -- that was involved in any of the DEI woke s--- has got to go," he continued. "Either you're in for warfighting, and that's it. That's the only litmus test we care about."

However, on his first day at the Pentagon as secretary, Hegseth seemed to soften in regard to Gen. C.Q. Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On Jan. 27, Brown saluted Hegseth as his motorcade arrived, then shook his hand as the two exchanged pleasantries. With Brown by his side, Hegseth approached a line of reporters and took several questions, including one on whether he intends to fire the general.

"I'm standing with him right now," Hegseth said, patting Brown on the shoulder. "I look forward to working with him."

It is not clear whether Brown is on the list.

The list follows multiple U.S. officials telling ABC News that the Pentagon submitted a separate list of probationary DOD employees to the Trump administration's Office of Personnel Management who could be terminated, along with requests to exempt specific offices and people from being cut.

Being considered mission-critical is one reason for suggested exemption, but veteran and military spouse status is also being taken into account, according to one of the officials. The process of identifying exemptions and cuts is underway, but it is unclear when these employees could begin receiving notice they are being fired.

Also on Wednesday, multiple officials confirmed to ABC News that a memo had been sent by Hegseth to DOD offices and agencies ordering that 8% of the budget for fiscal year 2026 and the four years that follow be redirected for the president's priorities.

"To achieve our mandate from President Trump, we are guided by his priorities including Securing our borders, building the Iron Dome for America, and ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing," acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert G. Salesses said in a Wednesday statement. "Accordingly, Secretary Hegseth has directed a review to identify offsets from the Biden Administration's FY26 budget that could be realigned from low-impact and low-priority Biden-legacy programs to align with President Trump's America First priorities for our national defense."

Salesses added that the DOD will create identify offsets in the budget that could be shifted to fund the president's priorities totaling $50 billion.

"Through our budgets, the Department of Defense will once again resource warfighting and cease unnecessary spending that set our military back under the previous administration, including through so-called 'climate change' and other woke programs, as well as excessive bureaucracy," acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert G. Salesses said in a Wednesday statement. "The time for preparation is over -- we must act swiftly to deter current and impending threats and make the best use of taxpayers' dollars in doing so."