I know it’s the Army, but haven’t these people heard of the Battle of the Bulge? You never know when your rear echelon may become the front line and your supply clerks will have to pick up a rifle and fight for their lives.
I think Mattis will let him know how stupid it is.
The reason the Marines made it out of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea is that the could replace the losses of marine infantry with cooks, clerks and mechanics. These men had been trained from their first day in boot camp that every marine is a rifleman first. They were able to go into combat skilled in the use of their weapons and a basic knowledge of combat requirements. Keyboard weenies will only die is those situations.