How Much Do You Save When You Get Rid of a General?

Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to get rid of 50 generals and 150 Senior Executive Service members in the next few years. How much money would that save?

Generals and admirals cost the taxpayers "millions," writes Brian Palmer in Slate's "Explainer" column. But to put that figure in perspective, Palmer also notes that if Gates fired "every one of the 963 generals and admirals from the armed forces and didn't replace them or pay their retirement benefits, we could save at most $200 million in direct compensation annually, or .03 percent of the $663 billion defense budget for 2010."