Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military to cut the number of their highest-ranking officers -- four-star generals and admirals -- by at least 20%.

In a memo released Monday, Hegseth argued that senior leaders should be "unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder their growth and effectiveness" and "a critical step in this process is removing redundant force structure."

In addition to ordering the firing of a minimum of 20% of four-star positions on active duty, the memo also orders a similar reduction in the National Guard and at least a 10% cut across all generals and admirals in the military.

Most of the military's four-star officers occupy top leadership positions within their respective services or oversee combatant commands across the world, and there are currently less than 40 on active duty, meaning that a 20% reduction would mean seven or eight cut positions.

Meanwhile, there are currently about 900 general and flag officers of all ranks in the military, meaning that the memo would result in around 90 cut jobs.

It is not clear from the memo whether these cuts would come by attrition -- meaning simply not replacing officers once they retire -- or firings. It is also not clear how any firings would be received by Congress, which authorizes the positions Hegseth now seems aimed at cutting.

The White House has backed off President Donald Trump’s stunning social media proposal to change the name of Veterans Day to “Victory Day for World War I” and will settle for keeping the name while adding a proclamation hailing American victory in World War I.

The White House will also go with a victory proclamation rather than a name change -- at least in the U.S. -- for V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day, which is observed every May 8 in Europe and May 9 in Russia to mark Nazi Germany’s surrender to the allies in World War II.

“We are not renaming Veterans Day,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ABC News on Friday. “It will just be an additional proclamation that goes out on that day.”

MANILA, Philippines — A World War II-era Philippine navy ship to be used as a target in a combat exercise by American and the Philippine forces accidentally sank Monday hours before the mock assault, prompting the drill to be cancelled, U.S. and Philippine military officials said.

The BRP Miguel Malvar, which was decommissioned by the Philippine navy in 2021, took on water while being towed in rough waters facing the disputed South China Sea and sank about 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) off the western Philippine province of Zambales. Nobody was onboard when the ship listed then sank, the Philippine military said.

American and Philippine forces would proceed with other live-fire maneuvers off Zambales on Monday despite the premature sinking of the Malvar. The ship was built as a patrol vessel for the U.S. Navy in the 1940s and was transferred to Vietnam’s navy before the Philippine military acquired it, Philippine navy Capt. John Percie Alcos said.

"It’s an 80-year-old dilapidated ship and it wasn’t able to withstand the rough seas,” Philippine Lt. Col. John Paul Salgado told The Associated Press.