Democracy and the Military: Are Civil-Military Relations Deteriorating?

Abstract : Professors Gregory D. Foster and Richard H. Kohn suggest in their writings that there is a crisis in civil-military relations. Collectively, they believe that the military has become too politicized, there is a growing disparity between society and the military, and too much military power had been given to the military, particularly the Joint Staff and the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. The paper explores these notions by examining the civilian control of political decisions affecting the military. It also explores possible civilian involvement at the operational level and relations with society. Finally, it examines briefly what civil-military relations were like during the Vietnam War and Persian Gulf War. The conclusion is that civil-military relations are not in a crisis today nor were they in a crisis during the Gulf War. Civil-military relations during the Vietnam War were, however, in a crisis.