The U.S. Congress determines the maximum number of general and flag officers that the military may have by specifying service-specific ceilings. The Defense Dept. has been required to study officer requirements and to recommend changes to the law, if necessary. This interim report on DoD's progress to date reviews DoD's draft recommendations and estimates the cost to implement them, reviews the criteria the services use in doing their studies, compares troop strength to officer requirements, and determines whether certain general or flag officer positions may be candidates for conversion to civilian status. Tables.