The Pentagon plans to reduce the number of positions allocated to generals and admirals by 20%.

(CNN) - Two Pentagon officials told CNN that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to announce plans to reduce the number of positions allocated to generals and admirals by 20%, during a speech he delivers to members of the armed forces, on Wednesday.

The two officials added that these cuts will double the reduction rate (of 10%) that Hegseth had ordered last year for senior positions, adding that the military branches are expected to complete these cuts by January 1, 2027.

Fox News was the first to report on these plans.

Hegseth is scheduled to review in detail his priorities for the Department of Defense, on Wednesday, during a speech delivered at the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia.

One of the officials told CNN that Hegseth had previously made clear his desire to reduce the number of senior leadership positions within the military, and he also agreed to the planned reductions plans earlier this month.

Last year, Hegseth also directed the Pentagon to reduce the number of four-star generals and admirals by no less than 20% in all sectors of the military.

In a memo detailing the order, Hegseth wrote that these cuts represent a “decisive” step toward “removing redundant force structures, with the goal of improving and streamlining command by reducing redundant positions for generals and senior officers.”

For his part, Senator Jack Reed - the most prominent Democratic member of the Senate Armed Services Committee - criticized these plans on Tuesday, saying in a statement: “Our military is conducting major operations around the world, and the forces are already suffering from pressures, so eliminating senior leadership positions at this time will increase those pressures and hinder the work of the command at a time when continuity of leadership is crucial.”