Unfortunately..., FAR TOO MANY! Compare the number of Flag Rank officers that conducted WWII to the number today, then see the total staffing then to that of today!
President Eisenhower was RIGHT ON when he warned of the Military Industrial Complex 60+ years ago!!!
We have three different air forces.. AND....
Rogue Chiefs of Staff that manipulate them ALL...
AND guys behind the guys behind the guys...-—>> etc..
Could be the entire federal givernment is A DUMMY givernment.. and several State givernments(or more)..
and a boatload of local givernments..
Animal Farm(the Book) may indeed be reality..
http://msxnet.org/orwell/print/animal_farm.pdf
Let me offer my opinion on that:
I have read much of his writings, studied him throughout my military career and attended professional military colleges where his military leadership and presidency were examined. Even had a chat with Stephen Ambrose while at Air University when he was giving a lecture on Eisenhower’s early military career. Am I an expert? Not hardly. Just saying I am not unfamiliar with who he was, did, said and thought, and various opinions associated.
More interesting in the MIC speech, for me, was Eisenhower’s warning about research and universities. He warned in more explicit language the threat from universities: “The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars, by Federal employment, project allocations, and contracts is ever present and is gravely to be regarded.”
He never said the MIC must be “gravely” regarded, thet the MIC was in-and-of-itself evil or "bad."
Regardless, like the MIC, he recognized universities are shaped by market forces and could be abused or be abusive.
Eisenhower ties together MIC and university by saying, “it is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system, ever aiming for the supreme goals of our free society.”
In other words, it was a new reality we now face and checks-and-balances, a core principle of our governing process and philosophy, was essential to using these new tools.
Just my opinion. . .