US military complains about bloated headquarters and paperwork for officers
Defense One reports that the US Army is facing excessive bureaucracy and overloaded headquarters, which reduces the effectiveness of the National Defence Strategy.
Here's What We Know
The US army is experiencing significant difficulties due to the excessive growth of headquarters structures, which have increased by 60% since 2001. This leads to an overload of officers with "paperwork" and a decrease in management efficiency.
For example, the Army Installation Management Command (IMC), created in 2006 to optimise garrison management, now has 30,000 military and 70,000 civilians, but has not met expectations of reducing bureaucracy. The Army Acquisition Corps has a similar problem, as it has not implemented a single large-scale programme to develop advanced weapons since 1989, despite billions of dollars in spending.
Statistics show that from 1965 to 2018, the number of generals in the US armed forces increased by 46%, and a third of the defence budget is spent on officer salaries. At the same time, as of 2024, every sixth soldier is an officer, but this has not led to an increase in the effectiveness of combat training.
The reduction of the army to 452,000 people, the lowest figure since 1940, further exacerbates the problem, which requires reform to fulfil strategic tasks.
Source: Defence One
