Does the U.S. military have too many senior officers in its ranks?

1. Armed Forces all over the world have similar problems.

 
2. Could something like the following be done for Indian Armed Forces. We do not have institutions like  CRS or GAO. Can the generously funded IDSA from MoD take up such issues. Unfortunately MoD does not take much interest in affairs military in cognitive domain and organisations like IDSA remain busy in writing/ thinking on Indo Latin American Relations, for example.  It may well be an important issue for MEA but should IDSA do such studies or they put their heads together for matters military. MEA funds lot of Think Tanks for their needs, IDSA may not become their work horse.

 
3. Your take on this?

 
4. Meanwhile read on.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A new report from the Congressional Research Service does not answer that question, but it explains why the question could arise, and provides relevant background for addressing it.

“While always very small in comparison to the total force, the general and flag officer (GFO) corps has increasedas a percentage of the total force over the past five decades.”

“GFOs made up about one-twentieth of one percent (0.048%) of the total force in 1965, while they made up about one-fifteenth of one percent (0.069%) of the total force in 2015, indicating that the share of the total force made up of GFOs increased by 43%.”

“Some argue that this increased proportion of GFOs is wasteful and contributes to more bureaucratic decisionmaking processes. Others counter that the increased proportion is linked to the military’s greater emphasis on joint and coalition operations, core organizational requirements, and the increasing use of advanced technologies.”

“This report provides an overview of active duty GFOs in the United States Armed Forces–including authorizations, duties, and compensation–historical trends in the proportion of GFOs relative to the total force, criticisms and justifications of GFO to total force proportions, and statutory controls.”

See General and Flag Officers in the U.S. Armed Forces: Background and Considerations for Congress, February 18, 2016.