Washington (United States) (AFP) – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that the United States has slashed the number of its generals and admirals by 20 percent, in a move he said is aimed at “accountability.”

Hegseth suggested the cuts targeted officers who failed to get on board with his efforts to ensure the military is focused on war-fighting rather than the “woke” policies of previous administrations, describing the reductions as an “accomplishment.”

“The number-crunchers say we fired 10 percent of the generals and admirals across the force,” Hegseth told troops at the Quantico military base, saying: “We’ve also reduced the overall number of general officer slots by an additional 10 percent.”

“So yes, 20 percent reduction across the board,” he said. “The media calls that a purge. I call it accountability, and long overdue.”

The address to junior officers and enlisted personnel at Quantico came a year after a similar speech to top officers in which Hegseth said the US military was too fat, too focused on leftist “woke” ideas, and in need of major shake-up.

He said Wednesday that top officers who “responded positively” to the previous speech are “leading newly focused and newly empowered and disciplined formations,” while those who did not “no longer work here.”

“We are no longer the woke department, or the weak department,” Hegseth said.

“Simple translation of that: no fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors – just tough, ready, committed troops.”

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