U.s. Civil-military Relations: In Transition Or Crisis? (Ascp Theory and Practice of Cytopathology)

The relationship between the U.S. military and civilian society has long been the subject of research within multiple disciplines--political science, public policy, sociology, and anthropology--as well as within the military itself. Throughout the cold war, that relationship was relatively stable, with the exception of perturbations caused by the Vietnam War and the establishment of the all-volunteer force. Now both sides of the relationship are undergoing rapid change--the military due to its altered role and rapid downsizing; society due to the cumulative effects of changing individual values, familial structures, and new national leadership with different priorities for the use of resources, including military power.

This collection of papers by leading academics and military professionals challenges the traditional approaches to the civilian-military relationship from several perspectives. The authors question the old formulations, analyze the implications of ongoing change, and develop new concepts for a post-cold war equilibrium in civil-military relations.