We have a real problem, it's one that you or I can't solve. The number of people on active military duty is decreasing, all the while wars are fought on a number of fronts - with more threatened.
But wait, while the numbers of troops are less than in any recent history, the number of Flag Officers, Admirals and Generals, has not decreased at all. I'm going to write about the Navy because that's where I was, but the numbers for other services are included.
I joined the Navy in 1958 when there were about 640,000 people in service.
Now the Navy has about 325,000 people. Remember the world hasn't shrunk, just our armed forces.
So, in 1958 there were about 890 ships and quite a number of land bases too.
...and now there are about 285 ships and a huge reduction in land bases, every base I served at except two are gone, kaput.
And now the Flags:
click to enlarge
As you can see, if you enlarge this, there are 230 Admirals in the Navy, almost one for every ship! That number is in excess of requirements.
See how the number of Flags per troop have changed.
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