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Starting next year, the Pentagon may have to justify to Congress the number of enlisted aides the services’ admirals and generals keep in attendance.

A provision of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act mandates that the defense secretary report to Congress each year the number of enlisted aides and “[justify], on a billet-by-billet basis, the authorization and assignment of each enlisted aide to each general officer and flag officer position.”

“In developing the report,” the budget provision states, “the Secretary of Defense shall have the objective of reducing the maximum number of enlisted aides” by making sure each can be justified.

via Congress Orders DoD to Justify Enlisted Aides for Generals, Admirals | Military.com.

I’m not perturbed by senior officers, particularly the three and four stars, having enlisted aides. In fact, one of my fellow recruiters had just finished a tour as one. He enlisted in the Army as a cook. And was an excellent one! He did mundane tasks for his general, such as caring for and prepping his uniforms and such. But his real mission was to cook. Very often, senior leaders conduct semi-official events such as hosting dinners in their quarters for community leaders and such. Heck, my mom  did much the same! Indeed, in the early 1970s, my dad had a Filipino steward assigned. Our quarters on post actually had a small apartment attached just for that steward.  When that perk was abolished, my sister got that room. I was jealous.

The real problem isn’t having enlisted aides. It’s the staggering number of general and flag officers in the service.  There’s simply no need for 900 flags. We could probably squeek by with as few as 500.

Of course, it’s pretty rich of Congress to complain.

Your congressman has a staff in the home district office. And in their office in DC. And then there’s the staff hired by the committees the congressman sits on. And I’ll tell you this, the numbers of staffers is a heck of a lot larger, and better paid.