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Pentagon Drafts Plan to Consolidate Combatant Commands and Trim Four-Star Ranks

Congress has tied any restructuring to a detailed blueprint, delaying implementation by at least 60 days after submission.

Overview

  • The Joint Staff, led by Chairman Dan Caine, has produced a preferred reorganization that is expected to be briefed to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the coming days.
  • The proposal would place U.S. Central, European and Africa Commands under a new U.S. International Command, reducing their standalone prominence.
  • U.S. Northern and Southern Commands would be realigned under a new U.S. Americas Command, known as Americom, while a floated Arctic Command concept has been dropped.
  • The plan would cut the number of combatant commands from 11 to eight and reduce the four-star officers who report directly to the secretary.
  • Hegseth’s office declined to discuss internal deliberations and rejected talk of internal divisions, as supporters say the shift tracks with the administration’s Western Hemisphere focus.