Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday directed the active duty military to shed 20% of its four-star general officers as the Trump administration moves forward with deep cuts that it says will promote efficiency but that critics worry could result in a more politicized force.Hegseth also told the National Guard to shed 20% of its top positions and directed the military to cut an additional 10% of its general and flag officers across the force, which could include any one-star or above or officer of equivalent Navy rank.The cuts are on top of more than a half-dozen top general officers that President Donald Trump or Hegseth have fired since January, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown Jr. They also have fired the only two women serving as four-star officers, as well as a disproportionate number of other senior female officers.In the earlier rounds of firing, Hegseth said the eliminations were 바카라 게임 웹사이트�a reflection of the president wanting the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take.바카라 게임 웹사이트�As Pentagon chief, Hegseth has touted his efforts to root out any programming or leadership that endorses diversity in the ranks, tried to terminate transgender service members and begun sweeping changes to enforce a uniform fitness standard for combat positions.In a memo announcing the cuts Monday, Hegseth said they would remove 바카라 게임 웹사이트�redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership.바카라 게임 웹사이트� He said the aim was to free the military from 바카라 게임 웹사이트�unnecessary bureaucratic layers.바카라 게임 웹사이트�Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., a Marine who served in Iraq and is now on the House Armed Services Committee, said he sees Hegseth바카라 게임 웹사이트�s actions as trying to politicize the military.바카라 게임 웹사이트�He바카라 게임 웹사이트�s creating a formal framework to fire all the generals who disagree with him 바카라 게임 웹사이트� and the president,바카라 게임 웹사이트� Moulton told AP at the Capitol.He said certainly any organization can look for efficiencies but Hegseth has long been explicit about his agenda. 바카라 게임 웹사이트�He wrote a book about it. He wants to politicize the military,바카라 게임 웹사이트� Moulton said. "So it바카라 게임 웹사이트�s hard to see these cuts in any other context.바카라 게임 웹사이트�Moulton warned of fallout for the troops. 바카라 게임 웹사이트�It is essential that our troops understand they are getting constitutional orders, not political orders,바카라 게임 웹사이트� he said, 바카라 게임 웹사이트�because otherwise you don바카라 게임 웹사이트�t have a democracy, otherwise you have a military that just works well for one political party or another.바카라 게임 웹사이트�Adding to the turmoil in the Pentagon, Hegseth in recent weeks has dismissed or transferred multiple close advisers, tightly narrowing his inner circle. He also has been facing questions from both Democrats and Republicans about his handling of sensitive information and use of the Signal messaging app.There are about 800 general officers in the military, but only 44 of those are four-star general or flag officers. The Army has the largest number of general officers, with 219, including eight four-star generals.The number of general officer positions in the military is set by law. Members of Congress were not provided with the advance notification they normally would receive on the cuts but were given a 바카라 게임 웹사이트�very brief alert바카라 게임 웹사이트� this afternoon, according to a congressional staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not made public.The cuts were first reported by CNN.The Pentagon is under pressure to slash spending and personnel as part of the broader federal government cuts pushed by Trump and ally Elon Musk바카라 게임 웹사이트�s Department of Government Efficiency.Hegseth last week ordered a sweeping transformation of the Army to 바카라 게임 웹사이트�build a leaner, more lethal force,바카라 게임 웹사이트� including merging or closing headquarters, dumping outdated vehicles and aircraft, slashing as many as 1,000 headquarters staff in the Pentagon and shifting personnel to units in the field.Also last week the Army confirmed that there will be a military parade on Trump바카라 게임 웹사이트�s birthday in June, as part of the celebration around the service바카라 게임 웹사이트�s 250th birthday. Officials say it will cost tens of millions of dollars.바카라 게임 웹사이트�-Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.