A proposed overhaul would merge key combatant commands, reduce senior leadership ranks, and redirect U.S. military priorities.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
War Secretary Pete Hegseth is moving forward with a plan that would dramatically reshape the U.S. military’s top command structure, consolidating several major regional commands, reducing the number of senior officers, and shifting strategic focus away from Europe and the Middle East, according to a report released Monday.
Five sources with direct knowledge of the discussions told The Washington Post the Pentagon is set to consolidate U.S. Central Command, U.S. European Command, and U.S. Africa Command into a single, expanded combatant command tentatively titled U.S. International Command. The proposal would also merge other existing commands, cutting the total number of combatant commands from 11 to eight. According to the sources, the restructuring is intended to reduce the number of admirals and four-star generals while reorienting the military toward the Indo-Pacific region and the Western Hemisphere.
The proposed changes would mark one of the most consequential reorganizations of the military’s senior leadership in decades. The report said the effort is designed to align the Pentagon more closely with the administration’s newly released National Security Strategy, which emphasizes long-term competition in the Indo-Pacific and a reassessment of U.S. commitments elsewhere.
Pentagon officials declined to address the specifics of the reported plan, emphasizing that discussions remain preliminary. “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,” a War Department official told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “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.”
According to The Post, the proposal was developed under the supervision of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine at Hegseth’s request. Caine is also expected to present two alternative restructuring options, providing multiple frameworks for consideration as internal deliberations continue.
Hegseth has been examining ways to reduce the number of four-star generals across the armed forces. The military currently has roughly the same number of four-star generals on active duty as it did during World War II, despite significant changes in force structure, technology, and global posture over the decades.
No final decisions have been announced, and any reorganization of combatant commands would require extensive review and coordination within the Department of War. The proposal nevertheless underscores a broader push by senior leadership to reassess how the U.S. military organizes its highest levels of command amid shifting global priorities.
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