"Generals are easy to fire and rarely have direct effect on the day to day operations"
The second half of this sentence doesn't ring true.
The last two major generals Obama fired were McChrystal and Patraeus. Both hugely influential in structuring day to day operations, if not direct tactical decision. The latter was the author of http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/fm3_24x2.....