Analysis / Reform

Reducing the Number of Active Duty General/Flag Officers

Assessing Defense Reform Series

— Mark Cancian
Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thejointstaff/4621852051/

Summary

The Senate provision to cut 25 percent of all generals/admirals complements the provision for reductions in four-star billets but would take out many more positions (~170 GO/FOs v. 14 4-stars). The Senate’s proposal resonates with concerns about excessive overhead and with DOD’s planned 25 percent cut to management staffs, but cutting 170 billets looks excessive, given the large reductions already made.
Download Report Here

Cite this Page

Mark Cancian, "Reducing the Number of Active Duty General/Flag Officers," Center for Strategic and International Studies, July 9, 2016, last modified July 9, 2016, https://defense360.csis.org/assessing-defense-reform-active-duty-generalflag-officers/.

Mark Cancian is a senior adviser with the CSIS International Security Program. He joined CSIS in April 2015 from the Office of Management and Budget, where he spent more than seven years as chief of the Force Structure and Investment Division. Previously, he worked on force structure and acquisition issues in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and spent over three decades in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Related