PS Actually, i do not see shortage of clueful network engineers. What i see is complete lack of clueful managers. Engineers are often left without any useful managerial support, and all too often are simply screwed up by the bad management. That's why i think the fact that good engineers are getting more expensive is positive. When management if forced to pay through the nose for the professional expertise, they more likely feel compelled to follow the offered advice.
It is quite possible to run a large backbone with two-three top-notch engineers - providing they can pick their assistants and don't have to spend most of their time dealing with bureaucratic idiocy.
What is the definition of "top notch"? If you mean 4th level engineers and network planners, then yes. If you mean 2nd level engineers, then I disagree. Backbones are (and should be) too big for 3 people to manage.