With less than a month until President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, top executives are already running into hiding. This week, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George said: pledged This will reduce approximately 12 general officers from the U.S. Army.
That’s the beginning.
But considering the Army has 219 authorized officers, cutting just 12 is the equivalent of using a scalpel when a machete is needed. Currently, the ratio of officers to non-commissioned officers is at an all-time high. During World War II, there was one general for every 6,000 troops. Today, the rate is 1 in 1,600 people.
There are currently 1.3 million active duty military personnel in the United States. Defense Human Resources Data Center. Of these, 885 are flag officers (fun fact: when you become a general or admiral you are given your own flag, hence the terms “flag officer” and “flagship”). In the world of reserves, this ratio is even worse. The total number of general and flag officers is 925, and the total reserve strength is only 760,499. This is the flag of all 674 enlisted soldiers.
The hallways of the Pentagon are filled with a constellation of stars and the thousands of employees who support them. I have worked in both the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Since around 2011, the Joint Staff Office has undulation In terms of range and power. Although the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is not part of the chain of command and merely serves as an advisor to the President, the Joint Chiefs of Staff employs an astonishing 4,409 people, including 1,400 civilians. The average salary is $196,800 (yes, you read that right). The Joint Staff budget for 2025 is Estimation The total cost is $1.3 billion, according to the Department of Defense inspector general.
In contrast, the Secretary of Defense, the civilian responsible for running our nation’s military, Number of staff: 2,646 people civilians and uniformed personnel. The disparity between the two staffs threatens America’s long-standing principle of civilian control of the military.
Look at what happens when private citizens in the White House and the Senate dare to question the rank of America’s rank and file. “The politicization of the military!” Critics say the generals who botched the withdrawal from Afghanistan, those who subscribed to a woke ideology of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), or those who overrun budgets and missed schedules. He shouts as if the commander-in-chief had no right to question the judgment of the generals he oversaw. weapon system. Introducing accountability into the rank and file does not politicize our military; that is called leadership. (Related: Morgan Murphy: How to drive DEI out of the Department of Defense)
What most Americans don’t understand is that the upper echelons of America are already highly political. At any given time, a casual visitor to the Capitol is likely to encounter multiple generals and admirals visiting elected representatives and their staffs. Ostensibly, these “briefs” are about various strategic threats and weapons systems, but everyone on the Hill knows that military leaders are also striving for their next mission or promotion. it’s classic politics
This country witnessed this firsthand with now-retired General Mark Milley. Most Americans were disappointed by what they saw. Millie had the audacity to play Washington spin, boast The Senate Armed Services Hearing revealed that he had interviewed Bob Woodward and a number of other Washington, D.C. reporters.
later woodward admitted In an interview with CNN, he said he was surprised by Milley and recalled that the chairman didn’t just say,[Trump] “That’s a problem, otherwise we can’t trust him,” Woodward said, adding, “He’s a danger to the country. He’s the most dangerous person I know.” Millie said that her attitude felt like the assignment editor was telling her to “do something about this.”
Think about it for a moment. An active-duty four-star general went on record with disparaging remarks about the commander-in-chief. Not only did it demonstrate class insubordination and violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice; Article 88However, Milley’s actions represented a serious threat to the Constitution and the military’s civilian oversight. (Related: Morgan Murphy: It’s time to make the U.S. Navy the fighting force it’s meant to be)
How will things play out now that President Trump is back? Old politicians know that what happens will happen again. Milley’s arbitrary political intervention could very well pave the way for a major reorganization of flag officers like General George C. Marshall.plucking boardMarshall retired 500 colonels and said: If you give too much to mediocre people, they will fail. ”
Marshall’s efforts to reorient the War Department toward meritocracy proved prescient when the United States entered World War II less than two years later.
Perhaps it’s time for another commission to remind military brass that their civilian superiors sit at the top of America’s chain of command.
Morgan Murphy is a military thought leader.Former Secretary of Defense Press Secretary and U.S. Senate National Security Advisor.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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