Reference News Network, December 18 report: According to the Russian "Kommersant" website, December 17 report, the U.S. Department of Defense is studying the adjustment of the military command structure. Sources told the "Washington Post" about the related plans. This primarily involves international military deployments. For example, the U.S. Department of Defense plans to reorganize the Central Command responsible for Middle East affairs, along with the European Command and the African Command, into a new organization called the "International Command." The Pentagon also plans to merge the Northern Command and the Southern Command into the Americas Command. This move will allow the U.S. military strategic resources to be re-concentrated in the Western Hemisphere, which the current administration values more.

As a result, the number of U.S. commands will be reduced from the current 11 to 8. The Indo-Pacific Command, Cyber Command, Special Operations Command, Space Command, Strategic Command, and Transportation Command will remain unchanged. The main content of the restructuring plan was developed under the supervision of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine. In addition, the Pentagon also considers reducing the number of generals. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will also review these preliminary proposals shortly.

Although the Secretary of Defense and the President have decisive roles in the approval process of these reforms, they cannot be implemented unilaterally without notifying Congress. The sources of the "Washington Post" confirmed that the Pentagon has not yet provided the relevant details to the legislators. The 2026 Fiscal Year Defense Authorization Act stipulates the power of Congress to review these plans. The Pentagon should submit not only the cost of the reform but also an assessment of the impact of these reforms on the U.S. international military alliance system. The reform funds will be allocated at least 60 days after the Pentagon provides the relevant data to Congress. Currently, the Republican Party led by Trump holds a dominant position in both the House and the Senate, but this does not guarantee that the Pentagon's reforms will receive unanimous support.

Oleg Kryvolapov, director of the Center for Military and Political Studies at the Institute of America and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explained that the reason for the above-mentioned reform plan of the U.S. combat commands is not only because the military and political priorities have changed, but also because the U.S. political leadership has the need to optimize military management. He pointed out that some generals left their posts in the first year of the current administration, some of whom did not agree with the measures taken by the Trump government in their respective fields.

This expert explained: "According to the idea of the initiators of the reform plan, building a new command structure may reduce potential conflicts between the government and generals who hold different opinions. On one hand, there is no need to change the status of the Indo-Pacific Command, as the Indo-Pacific region will be the priority direction. On the other hand, the status of the Space Command may become complicated, although the Trump administration may consider its priority level comparable to that of the Indo-Pacific Command."

Vladimir Pavlov, researcher at the International Institute of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, said that if the final plan is approved, it will focus on stricter budget management and the maintenance and consolidation of the United States' position in the Western Hemisphere and the Asia-Pacific region. He explained that the plan aims to enhance the readiness and personnel configuration of the U.S. military based on an analysis of the latest changes in the military field.

Another report by the Taiwan Central News Agency on December 15 stated that the "Washington Post" cited informed sources revealing that the Pentagon is preparing a military reform plan to lower the level of several major commands and moderately integrate them. This military reform, led by Defense Secretary Hegseth, aligns with the policy direction of the Trump administration's strategic withdrawal.

Any organizational and structural adjustments of the U.S. military must be approved by Hegseth and President Trump, and then incorporated into the "Joint Command Plan," which regulates the responsibilities of the main commands of the U.S. military.

Persons familiar with the military reform plan pointed out that this adjustment corresponds to the new version of the national security strategy released by the Trump administration at the beginning of the month. The new national security strategy declared that "the era when the United States supported the entire world order like a giant pillar has ended."

Informed sources revealed that these adjustments will be accompanied by other policies to shift military resources from the Middle East and Europe, and focus more on expanding military operations in the Western Hemisphere. (Translated by Li Ran)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7585063594639835691/

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