Does The US Military Have Too Many Generals?

[longknife]

886 generals and admirals in DOD? Of course it's too damned many! And, for each flag officer, there is an automatic staff that takes vital personnel away from the main job of defending this nation. Aides, drivers, administrative and housekeeping staffs and more.



As of Feb. 29, there were 411 one stars, 299 two stars, 139 three stars, and 37 four-star active generals and admirals, with several more appointed recently. The ratio of officers in the military to the total force size has grown from 15.69% in 2000 to 17.54% in 2015.



The Daily Beast reports that there are 12 generals commanding the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq. That’s one flag officer per 400 troops. That’s about the size of two infantry companies, which are typically led captains, not someone four or more pay grades above.



Just another of many things that make the November elections so vital. Unless voters signal a major change of governmental direction, reductions like this will never take place.



Story @ Does The US Military Have Too Many Generals?

 

[ABikerSailor]

Trump said he was going to build the military bigger, not make it smaller.

 

[The Irish Ram]

That's funny. My husband was at the Pentagon this weekend. Our brother-in-law was just pinned Gen.

 

[ABikerSailor]

Didn't Trump say that Obama messed up our military by downsizing it? Didn't he say that he was going to make the military "great" again?

 

[shadow355]

Flag Officers ( Generals and Admirals ) fill all sort of positions. From staff as well as Logistics, to Deputy Commanders and Commanders.

Pentagon Security - Operations - Planning - Logistics and an assortment of other positions where rank is needed to get things done. Also at the Division level, and for the Navy; at the fleet.

When an order comes down, it comes down from someone with authority. If the order don't get followed; the person who passed down the order has the ability to initiate disciplinary action.

In other events - for the command of a unit , or an event...... Someone has to be responsible ---- The Flag Officer. Also for those that don't know; the "GS" pay scale for DOD Civilians coincides with Military Rank. So, yes at times a GS-15 civilian can tell a Military Lieutenant or Captain what they think.

Flag Officers - Admirals and Generals do not always Command. They oversee Military projects, work in, or with other nations, are Liason Officers between the Military and Civilian sector and a host of other jobs. They start out at staff jobs, the become a Deputy Commander, then a Commander of a Military Post. From there they get a theater job - like South America - Europe - Middle East - or someplace. Then from there they become Pentagon or White House material.

General Miley - US Army was a quick promotion as I know, becoming Chief of Staff ; the Top Army General, not long after being the post Commander of Ft.Hood.

One General I worked with in Korea..... Was supposed to go to Washington, DC after his assignment as Commander 2nd Infantry Division. He opted for another command; and If I remember right - he went to Japan. The senior brass was just awaiting his senate confirmation to cut his orders for Japan, as he was getting another star - which he deserved. I had the option to move up in staff, but turned it down to try my hand at State Law Enforcement.

Shadow 355

 

[Spare_change]

An overage of high ranked personnel, both office and NCO, is one of the impacts of downsizing the fighting force. Attrition, or increasing troop levels, will resolve the problem.

 

[shadow355]

An overage of high ranked personnel, both office and NCO, is one of the impacts of downsizing the fighting force. Attrition, or increasing troop levels, will resolve the problem.

NCO and Officer evaluation reports should be the guideline for early out. In some instances there will
be those whom have a certain rank and a certain job field..... That will get cut from the Military; and it will not be their fault.

Clinton thought this was a good deal too. I helped downsize a Special Forces unit In the mid 1990s. They were ticked off. Some got out of the Military, and some found other jobs in the Army.

Until the next BIG campaign

Shadow 355

 

[ABikerSailor]

An overage of high ranked personnel, both office and NCO, is one of the impacts of downsizing the fighting force. Attrition, or increasing troop levels, will resolve the problem.

Apparently, you don't know what you are talking about.

Attrition is the actual downsizing of a force. That particular word means that you decrease it.

the definition of attrition

Increasing is the exact opposite of attrition. Attrition means downsizing. It doesn't mean increasing, it means reducing.

Apparently, you don't know what you are speaking of.

 

[whitehall]

They are getting rid of Army Captains who fail to be promoted to Major in a specified time but they have Generals commanding the same number of Troops as Captains used to command. Do they teach logic in general school?

 

[longknife]

In my 23 years in the army (more than 3 decades ago), I served at every level from an isolated platoon to a DOD activity. As a personnel sergeant, I was closely involved in officer and enlisted evaluations used to determine fitness for promotion. I was also involved in the TO&E and force organizations of military activities.

At levels above Division, the decisions of what rank fills a position is a thousand times more political. Most flag officers do not get promoted for their ability as warriors but as politicians.

So, being aware of how the whole thing is determined, I fully agree that there are far too many flag officers and positions for the current force structure.

If Trump is serious about improving the military to be able to properly defend this nation, he MUST do something about the glut of stars - as well as the plethora of civilians

One should take the time to check out the pdf. @ http://www.mccsokinawa.com/uploaded...yment_Assistance/Federal-Rank-Equivalency.pdf to see the equivalent of civilians to officers.

Another big question is how many of these GS-14s and 15s really deserve their tenured positions?

 

[shadow355]

They are getting rid of Army Captains who fail to be promoted to Major in a specified time but they have Generals commanding the same number of Troops as Captains used to command. Do they teach logic in general school?

That is Military staffing deal. Talk to the General of that Military branch .

And read my above post. Majors don't command generally. They are at a Battalion or Brigade staff job; till
They make Lieutenant Colonel and command a battalion .

Shadow 355

 

[longknife]

They are getting rid of Army Captains who fail to be promoted to Major in a specified time but they have Generals commanding the same number of Troops as Captains used to command. Do they teach logic in general school?

That is Military staffing deal. Talk to the General of that Military branch .

And read my above post. Majors don't command generally. They are at a Battalion or Brigade staff job; till
They make Lieutenant Colonel and command a battalion .

Shadow 355

The general structure of what officers are supposed to do follows:

2nd Lieutenant - assistant or platoon leader.
1st Lieutenant - platoon leader and company executive officer
Captain - company commander
Major - Battalion executive officer or brigade/division staff officer
Lieutenant Colonel, battalion commander or senior staff officer
Colonel - Brigade commander or senior staff officer
Brigadier General - assistant division commander
Major General - Division commander
Lieutenant General - Corps commander
General - army commander

With a whole lot of other positions in between.

And the navy's equivalent of a brigadier general - commodore - is no longer used.

 

[whitehall]

The Armed Services seem to have given up their Military command functions to the freaking CIA since Vietnam (how did that turn out?) while nobody was looking. Military units in the field are allegedly under the command of CIA operatives who have no legal UCMJ authority over Military Troops. I submit that the Navy Seals have become the arm of the CIA since the Obama administration gave up it's responsibility for Afghanistan and Iraq and the Pentagon fat asses have become rubber stamps for the "intelligence agencies". That leaves hundreds of command officers without a mission but nobody in the administration has the guts to change the rules or fire the generals.

 

[Spare_change]

The Armed Services seem to have given up their Military command functions to the freaking CIA since Vietnam (how did that turn out?) while nobody was looking. Military units in the field are allegedly under the command of CIA operatives who have no legal UCMJ authority over Military Troops. I submit that the Navy Seals have become the arm of the CIA since the Obama administration gave up it's responsibility for Afghanistan and Iraq and the Pentagon fat asses have become rubber stamps for the "intelligence agencies". That leaves hundreds of command officers without a mission but nobody in the administration has the guts to change the rules or fire the generals.

LOL -- now, that right thar is some funny shit!

 

[Spare_change]

An overage of high ranked personnel, both office and NCO, is one of the impacts of downsizing the fighting force. Attrition, or increasing troop levels, will resolve the problem.

Apparently, you don't know what you are talking about.

Attrition is the actual downsizing of a force. That particular word means that you decrease it.

the definition of attrition

Increasing is the exact opposite of attrition. Attrition means downsizing. It doesn't mean increasing, it means reducing.

Apparently, you don't know what you are speaking of.

Let me see if I can do this in small words ....

Attrition, as I applied to it, was intended to indicate the generals. As they leave the service, they will not be replaced. Increasing troop levels, as I said, would provide billets for general officers. Those are two diametrically opposed forces that will impact the general officer population.

Given the way that Obama has gutted the military - as Clinton did in order to attempt to balance the budget, and Carter before him - we can reasonably expect an uptick in troop levels. When the next big attack happens - I'm predicting in 12 to 18 months - those generals will have plenty of troops.

Next time, get somebody to translate it to your native language.

 

[longknife]

The Armed Services seem to have given up their Military command functions to the freaking CIA since Vietnam (how did that turn out?) while nobody was looking. Military units in the field are allegedly under the command of CIA operatives who have no legal UCMJ authority over Military Troops. I submit that the Navy Seals have become the arm of the CIA since the Obama administration gave up it's responsibility for Afghanistan and Iraq and the Pentagon fat asses have become rubber stamps for the "intelligence agencies". That leaves hundreds of command officers without a mission but nobody in the administration has the guts to change the rules or fire the generals.

Whoooey whooey whoo

 

[whitehall]

There are no more great land battles and there probably will never be a gigantic naval adventure of the likes we saw about 70 years ago. Truman sent Troops to Korea on an executive order which was probably illegal. The little bean counting senator who became president was busy downsizing the Military after WW2 and vowing to reduce the Marine Corps, which had served with uncommon valor in the Pacific, to a freaking ceremonial guard detachment when he suddenly needed the Marines for another dirty job that bureaucrats were guaranteed to screw up.Truman didn't understand the Military and neither did JFK or LBJ or Carter or Bill Clinton or God help us, Barry Hussein. Democrats since FDR have been on the opposite page of the Military but they always can count on the liberal media to cover up mistakes and downplay criminal negligence. That's the world we live in today and fat assed political appointees are running the Military and Troops are still dying because college idiots in the CIA and the myriad of "intelligence agencies" are running the show rather than the Generals and the Admirals.

 

[smith77]

If you got people with stars on their collars sitting around thinking about what a command should be named, then yes, you have to many people with stars on their collars. In the 80s, when I was in the Navy, the Navy Military Personnel Command (NMPC) changed it's name, I think to the Bureau of Personnel. Then back again a few years later. Sitting around thinking about important things like this? This is what gives enlisted people ammunition to think officers are useless.

 

[harmonica]

They are getting rid of Army Captains who fail to be promoted to Major in a specified time but they have Generals commanding the same number of Troops as Captains used to command. Do they teach logic in general school?

That is Military staffing deal. Talk to the General of that Military branch .

And read my above post. Majors don't command generally. They are at a Battalion or Brigade staff job; till
They make Lieutenant Colonel and command a battalion .

Shadow 355

yes, I never remember dealing with any majors in the grunts/infantry--LTs, Captains and Colonels
...we did have a MOH winner major--but we never dealt with him much...this was a Guard Duty unit ....we never saw the major that much, at all......
..when I went to the FMF, I don't remember any majors--but I do remember the captains and colonels

 

[TheOldSchool]

The military only needs one General, and his name is Donald Jonathan Trump