By the Numbers - Apr. 18, 2016
896
The current number of "general and flag officers (GFOs)," according to a recently released Congressional Research Service report -- General and Flag Officers in the U.S. Armed Forces: Background and Considerations for Congress (PDF). According to the report, this is less than the maximum number allowed by federal statute, which is 962.
The current number is about average for the post-Cold War era, though substantially lower than the number of GFOs in the 1960s-1980s, when the Armed Forces were much larger in size than they are today. However, while always very small in comparison to the total force, the general and flag officer corps has increased as a percentage of the total force over the past five decades.
GFOs comprise the military pay grades of 0-7 to 0-10, basically one- star, two-star, three-star, and four-star officers. 0-7s make about $194,000 a year in "regular military compensation (RMC)," which "includes basic pay, basic allowance for housing, basic allowance for subsistence, and the federal tax advantage associated with allowances, which are exempt from federal income tax." The highest ranking GMOs make roughly $231,000 per year.
896
The current number of "general and flag officers (GFOs)," according to a recently released Congressional Research Service report -- General and Flag Officers in the U.S. Armed Forces: Background and Considerations for Congress (PDF). According to the report, this is less than the maximum number allowed by federal statute, which is 962.
The current number is about average for the post-Cold War era, though substantially lower than the number of GFOs in the 1960s-1980s, when the Armed Forces were much larger in size than they are today. However, while always very small in comparison to the total force, the general and flag officer corps has increased as a percentage of the total force over the past five decades.
GFOs comprise the military pay grades of 0-7 to 0-10, basically one- star, two-star, three-star, and four-star officers. 0-7s make about $194,000 a year in "regular military compensation (RMC)," which "includes basic pay, basic allowance for housing, basic allowance for subsistence, and the federal tax advantage associated with allowances, which are exempt from federal income tax." The highest ranking GMOs make roughly $231,000 per year.