Spending

Governments like big corporations can get too big over time. At the height of WW 2 there were 2,000 active-duty flag officers (generals and admirals) with an active-duty force of 12 million. This is one flag officer for every 6000 soldiers. Today there are 848 flag officers and 1.8 million active-duty troops or one flag office per 2122 troops. Since the end of WW 2 the average inflation rate in the US has been 3.5% while government spending has increased 7.5%. Part of this spending can be seen in the military budget and it is the same in social spending.