UK cutting top billets. The USMC should do the same.

via BFBS.

The military's "top-heavy" command will be cut by a quarter under the latest in a wave of defence cuts to save £3.8 million a year.

Thousands of posts have already been cut after the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review. These latest cuts were recommended in a report by Lord Levene last year.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond says one in four senior posts from the ranks of commodore, brigadier, air commodore and above will go and the top brass cull will take two years to carry out.
It means around 26 civilian and military head office posts are being axed and a new senior structure will come in from April next year.

A new streamlined head office will focus more on providing strategic direction. It will no longer get involved in the day-to-day management of the front line commands, which will take over responsibility for managing their own budgets.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: “At a time when we are making difficult decisions about defence spending and have had to accept reductions across the board we cannot ignore the volume of posts at the top. For too long the MOD has been top heavy, with too many senior civilians and military.

“Not only does this new structure reduce senior staff posts by up to a quarter in the next two years, but it allows clear strategic priorities to be set for the Armed Forces. It will hold the frontline Commands to account for their delivery and support them in the tasks they are set.

Acting Permanent Under Secretary Tom McKane said: “All parts of Defence are being restructured as we transform the way the Ministry of Defence does business, and Head Office is no exception. A smaller Head Office focused on strategic direction and policy, which hands more responsibility to the front-line commands, allows for a better-run organisation.”

Wow.

The Brits are actually doing what everyone has always talked about.

Take the US Marine Corps for example.  We're about to put 20,000 Marines out on the street, yet we haven't heard one peep about reducing the number of Flag Billets or seen a reduction in support elements.  All we know for sure is that several Infantry Battalions are going away.

AMAZING.

Time for the Corps to man up.  If you can kick LCPL Schmucatelli to the curb then you can do the same to General Don't Know Shit (said in jest...relax rank thumpers).

Seriously though.  Its time for the Marine Corps to seriously clean house.  Close down shops, combine functions and billets and make this a streamlined machine again.

NOTE:  This should also apply doubly so for all the civilian billets that dot the Marine Corps landscape.