Hegseth announces a new drone command and cuts to 20% of generals in ‘State of the Force’ speech

Hegseth lays out major restructuring of U.S. military Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a series of significant changes to the U.S. military during his September 30 “State of the Force” address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, including a new command devoted to drone warfare, a 20% reduction in generals and admirals, a study of the future of warfare involving prominent technology and political figures, and plans for a new military installation. The Associated Press report was written by Konstantin Toropin, Ben Finley and Meg Kinnard, with AP congressional correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributing. wplg One of Hegseth’s most consequential announcements was the creation of a new four-star Autonomous Warfare Command, intended to accelerate the military’s adoption of drones, robotics and other autonomous systems. Hegseth argued that warfare is evolving more quickly than the Pentagon’s traditional procurement system can accommodate. He pointed particularly to Ukraine, where comparatively inexpensive drones have transformed battlefield tactics, and to the continuing U.S. war with Iran, where American forces have faced repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks. AP News Hegseth said the lesson of Ukraine is not that one particular drone will dominate warfare, but that militaries must be able to develop, modify and deploy systems much more rapidly. The emphasis also reflects a financial problem: the United States has been using expensive Patriot, THAAD and other interceptors against considerably cheaper missiles and drones, placing pressure on U.S. weapons inventories. The AP report notes a potentially important contradiction in the Pentagon’s drone policy. An Army unit stationed in Europe that had developed a specialty in drone warfare was recently ordered to return to a more traditional infantry mission. That decision prompted a bipartisan group of lawmakers to ask the Army for an explanation at the same time Pentagon leadership is declaring autonomous warfare a major strategic priority.

A 20% reduction in generals and admirals

Hegseth also ordered the armed services to cut approximately 20% of roughly 800 general and flag-officer positions by January 1, 2027. An earlier order had called for a 10% reduction; the new directive doubles it. Hegseth characterized the reduction as an issue of accountability and argued that the military has become too top-heavy. That proposal produced some of the sharpest criticism discussed in the AP story. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, a former Navy combat pilot, argued that Hegseth is removing an entire generation of experienced senior officers. Kelly described the reductions as a “purge” and warned that rebuilding that level of institutional leadership could take years. Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, took a more cautious position. Rounds said reducing excessive senior-level bureaucracy could have merit, but said he wanted to see the Pentagon's justification before deciding whether the scale of the cuts was warranted. AP News The larger concern raised by critics is timing. The reductions are occurring while the military is engaged in substantial operations overseas, including the seven-month conflict with Iran, and while weapons inventories and operational demands are already under pressure.

Musk, Gingrich and Luckey studying the future battlefield

Hegseth also announced a Pentagon initiative called Project Meridian, involving SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and Anduril Industries co-founder Palmer Luckey. Their task is to examine the technologies and weapons the U.S. military could require decades into the future. Hegseth framed the initiative expansively, saying the Pentagon needs to prepare for warfare across domains ranging from underground environments to space. The initiative reflects Hegseth's effort to bring private-sector technology leaders more directly into Pentagon planning. It also comes as autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, commercial space technology and inexpensive mass-produced weapons are challenging the military's traditional reliance on relatively small numbers of extremely sophisticated—and extremely expensive—weapons platforms. AP News A new military base and self-powered installations Hegseth announced that the Pentagon intends to construct what would be its first new major military base in approximately 40 years. All 50 states will reportedly be eligible to compete for the installation, which is expected eventually to accommodate between 15,000 and 25,000 service members. He also proposed making military installations capable of supplying their own electricity. That initiative is intended to reduce dependence on civilian power grids that could become vulnerable during a major war, cyberattack or infrastructure emergency.

Religious affairs and changes to military culture

The Defense Department will also establish a new Office of Religious Affairs. More broadly, Hegseth used the speech to defend the cultural changes he has pursued since taking control of the Pentagon. Those include rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion programs, reviewing standards involving women in ground-combat units and creating screening related to testosterone deficiency among male service members. Hegseth has characterized these measures as an effort to return the military's emphasis to combat effectiveness and what he describes as a warrior culture. Critics have questioned whether some of these initiatives are ideologically driven or could unnecessarily disrupt personnel policy and military leadership. Other reporting on Wednesday's speech also drew attention to its unusually political tone. The Washington Post, for example, characterized parts of the address as partisan, noting Hegseth's criticism of previous Pentagon leadership, liberal politicians and the news media. The Washington Post

The larger context: war and depleted stockpiles

Perhaps the most important context surrounding Hegseth's announcements is that they are occurring while the United States is already engaged in major military operations. According to the AP report, the U.S. has been at war with Iran for approximately seven months. Iranian missile and drone attacks have continued despite extensive U.S. strikes, while American forces have expended large numbers of expensive missile-defense interceptors. The AP cites experts who estimate that defense contractors could require at least three years to replenish inventories of some heavily used weapons systems. That creates a central tension running through Hegseth's speech: he is attempting to restructure the armed forces for the wars of the future while the military is simultaneously consuming weapons and resources in the wars of the present. Bottom line Hegseth is proposing more than a few organizational changes. The speech outlined a broader attempt to change how the Pentagon is led, what kinds of weapons it buys, how rapidly it adopts technology and what institutional culture it promotes. His model appears to emphasize fewer senior officers, greater reliance on drones and autonomous systems, closer relationships with technology entrepreneurs, faster weapons production, more resilient military infrastructure and a cultural shift away from the policies of previous Pentagon leadership. Critics cited in the AP report aren't generally disputing that warfare is changing or that the Pentagon can be bureaucratic. Their central questions concern how quickly these changes are being made, whether experienced senior leadership is being removed unnecessarily, whether the different reforms are strategically coherent, and whether restructuring on this scale is prudent while the United States is already fighting a major war. AP News Source: Associated Press, September 30, 2026, by Konstantin Toropin, Ben Finley and Meg Kinnard, with Lisa Mascaro contributing.