General and Flag Officer Costs

This report documents a framework for estimating the costs of general and flag officers (G/FOs) and their support personnel and applies it to estimate these costs for fiscal year 2018. This cost-estimating framework is consistent with the requirements of Section 596 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. The authors estimate average annual total costs of typical G/FOs as well as the annual total costs of specific G/FO positions. G/FO positions differ in several key characteristics, including location, nature of position, organizational type, and function. These differences can substantially influence cost estimates of G/FOs and their support personnel. The authors find that average total direct costs of typical G/FOs and their support staff increases with pay grade from $600,000 for O-7 pay grades up to $3 million for O-10 pay grades. The cost increase primarily reflects staff increases in roles that support general or flag officers in the execution of their duties and responsibilities. We find costs of specific G/FO positions vary substantially by nature of position, organizational type, and functional area. Estimated costs range from $270,000 for O-7 pay grades with no staff or travel to more than $10 million for O-10 pay grades that receive continuous protection and are required to use government aircraft for official travel. If consistently and repeatedly collected, these average annual cost estimates can be used to identify trends in G/FO costs over time.