GOP senators are not happy with Hegseth

Senior Republican senators say they were blindsided by a plan to reduce by 20 percent the U.S. military’s general and admirals, announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week.

Senior Republicans on Capitol Hill are questioning whether too many experienced and highly qualified generals and admirals are being pushed out and what impact it might have on military readiness in the future.

They’re also voicing concerns about the lack of consultation with Congress and the possibility that qualified senior officers were sacked for political or ideological reasons.

“I wouldn’t have made that a priority if I had been asked,” said Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who said he was only informed of the 20 percent reduction shortly before it was announced.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine), meanwhile, said the sudden and large reduction of generals and admirals raises questions and concerns .

Collins said she didn’t get advanced notice of the steep reduction in military leadership ranks, reiterating her argument that “our system for promoting officers has always been an example of one of the greatest meritocracies that we have.”

My colleague Alexander Bolton spoke to these Republican lawmakers and others who say Hegseth’s failure to consult with them is part a broader, troubling trend of making big decisions with little or no input from key members of Congress — or even without giving lawmakers sufficient advanced notice.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

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