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The Pentagon is preparing a plan to downgrade several of the U.S. military's major headquarters and shift the balance of power among its top generals, in what would be one of the most significant changes at the military's highest ranks in decades, the Washington Post (WP) reported Monday.
The plan, prepared at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's request, would reduce the prominence of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) by placing them under the control of a new organization known as "U.S. International Command," according to five people familiar with the matter speaking to WP.
If adopted, the changes would complement other efforts by the Trump administration to shift resources away from the Middle East and Europe and focus foremost on expanding military operations in the Western Hemisphere.
The plan also calls for realigning U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), which oversee military operations throughout the Western Hemisphere, under a new headquarters to be known as "U.S. Americas Command" or "AMERICOM."
Pentagon officials also discussed creating a U.S. Arctic Command that would report to AMERICOM, but that idea appears to have been abandoned.
Combined, the moves would reduce the number of combatant commands from 11 to eight while cutting the number of four-star generals and admirals who report directly to Hegseth.
The remaining combatant commands would be US Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Space Command, US Strategic Command and U.S. Transportation Command.
The Pentagon has shared little to no details with Congress, a lack of communication that has perturbed members of the Republican-led Senate and House Armed Services Committees.
Lawmakers have taken the extraordinary step of requiring the Pentagon to submit a detailed blueprint describing the realignment's potential costs and impacts on America's alliances.
The measure, included in Congress's annual defense policy bill, would withhold money to enact the effort until at least 60 days after the Pentagon provides those materials.
Senior military officials considered about two dozen other concepts, including a reduction to six total combatant commands, according to WP. Under that plan, Special Operations Command, Space Command and Cyber Command would be downgraded and placed under a new "U.S. Global Command."
Another proposal suggested creating a new "Joint Task Force War" based at the Pentagon that would focus on planning and strategy when the United States was not at war and control forces anywhere in the world during conflict. The idea didn't "test well" in exercises and appears unlikely to be adopted.
Military officials also considered reorganizing by domain—with operations organized by whether they occurred on land, in the air, at sea, in space, or in cyberspace—but the idea had few proponents outside the Space Force.
Any changes would need the approval of Hegseth and U.S. President Donald Trump under the Pentagon's Unified Command Plan, which lays out the roles of the military's major headquarters.
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