So by your explanation the problem isn't with the Enlisted force structure but Civil Service?  Of that I can agree.    I have seen what you are talking about but more in the officer corp than enlisted however.

There are problems all around.  We can't pay an unlimited amount to ANY rank within the military.  Military pay has grown to the point where it's VERY competitive with the civilian world.  Frankly, E-3s make pretty good money nowadays (go look at any barracks parking lot and see what kind of vehicles the E-3s and below are driving!) and we as a nation can't pay an unlimited amount to our service members.  So, I agree with SgtMaj Barrett to a point.  I think it might have come out sounding a lot worse than he meant.  

But, I also think that he's not looking at some areas that need to be addressed.  I agree with you that the officer corps is the WORST offenders when it comes to do-nothing civilian jobs.  Lt. Colonels and Colonels are the worst offenders because they are usually around 25-30 years, so they aren't too old and they want a second career.    Oh, they try to justify their existence but many of them have just gotten good at creating charts and graphs and new "programs" and basically making busy work to justify their civilian DOD jobs.  

There certainly is a place for DOD civilians but not doing the same job as a service member.  DOD civilians should be doing very specialized fields and should be not just experts but geniuses in their field.  Those types we need to keep around.  But, our civilian employment rolls in the DOD are absurd.  But, no senior ranking officers want to touch that issue because they would like one of those cushy DOD civilian jobs themselves when they retire.

According to Wikipedia, in the DOD there are about 1.4 million active duty service members, 1.1 million reserves, and 718,000 civilians!!  That's absurd.  Even more so considering that most of the DOD civilians are making VERY good incomes.  

Again, I'm not against DOD civilians but I am opposed to the bloated civilian rolls full of retired service members who fill civilian positions that are ALSO filled with service members.  

And again, while the officers are the worst offenders, the very senior enlisted ranks have some of the same issues as well...just not nearly as much because they don't have the power to create civilian positions.  The reason that the senior enlisted ranks won't speak out against the bloated civilian employments is because their current bosses want those cushy civilian jobs in a couple years when they retire.  I have seen some retired senior enlisted who got into do nothing civilian jobs but not NEARLY the same amount as the officers do.

If an E-9 said something, you can bet every dollar you have that it's bullshit.

Every Segart Major I ever came in contact with did two things:

Suck the shit out of the ass of the Battalion Commander

Wander the Battalions area bitching about people's uniform.

They really have no purpose. They don't run a company the way a First Sergeant does.  They don't plan training, or deal with logistics.  They just kiss ass and bitch.

The most worthless position in the military.  I'd trade them all for an equal number of E-3 who were good shots.