Washington DC - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced the US has slashed the number of its generals and admirals by 20%, a move he said is aimed at improving "accountability."

"The number-crunchers say we fired 10% of the generals and admirals across the force," Hegseth declared to troops at the Quantico military base during his annual State of the Force address on Wednesday.

"We've also reduced the overall number of general officer slots by an additional 10%," he boasted. "So yes, 20 percent reduction across the board… The media calls that a purge. I call it accountability, and long overdue!"

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.

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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 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."

Hegseth ordered major cuts to the US military – including a 10% reduction to the overall number of generals and admirals – in May 2025. Recent figures show, however, that in the year since the quantity of top officers has actually grown.

Asked to clarify if the 20 percent cuts had been completed or were still ongoing, the Pentagon said: "We have nothing further to provide beyond the secretary's comments."