Nothing like the voice of ignorance and spite to keep it real. Many are working schlubs, filling a direct support role to the military to provide a continuity foundation for things like initial training to repopulate the military with fresh bodies. They took a job because it was available and they had skills that are useful. Take them out and you either stop/delay training to the military or yank more out of mission support roles. They're not all the bureaucrats that so many think they are and they have no "golden parachute" retirements - low-info folks might think that because they listen without investigating. Some GS-5 secretaries do as much, if not more than the average private sector secretaries do - one who works for us has the same problems as many - physical issues and a husband who is ill and wheelchair bound - I guess shes' just an evil leech. Some roles to support government/military functions/missions are going to be filled by civilians - if not direct employees, they will be contracted workers and we went through several iterations of trying to save money with more contractors and found out that even though their pay wasn't much different, the contract called for other benefits that raised the cost above using direct employees.
Take it to the "logical" end of what some low-info opiners submit and the military is also a bunch of leeches - I was a "leech", in uniform for 24 years - you must despise me...
You assume a lot. I am a Viet Nam Era Veteran USAF 72-76 and have a lot of friends and relatives who are retired military, active duty, and several defense contractor friends as well. Under leftist administrations they alway suffer with or without a shut down caused by Reid and Obama. The average federal employee excluding defense is a democrat that got the job through being connected. I you are one of the do nothing conneced fed employees, I do despise you. Otherwise I pitty you for thinking you know so much. I am a defense contractor by choice and have a pension and other investments from the private sector. Yes I am working for free since Tuesday morning and prepared to continue until I get paid again. My company will make it whole. So I guess I would define you as an assumptive dimwit.