Civil Military Relations and the San Diego Case Study
Abstract
In the past, approaches to civil-military relations have focused on federal level institutions. Most scholars prefer to discuss and analyze the military, civilian leadership of the military, and the general public in broad terms, referring to each as "the military," "the civilian leaders," or "the people/society" with no delineation between the leaders and their bureaucracies or other lesser players.' Such an approach neglects to take into account that circumstances can differ significantly across regions and time. The use of such uncontextualized analytical categories can lead to incomplete analysis. An area relatively untouched by current scholarship is local case studies. One scholar points out, "The empirical literature is vast and informative but it has advanced primarily along theoretical lines of analysis laid out by Huntington and Janowitz thirty or forty years ago" (Feaver 1996, 2). Studies in the past have focused on civil-military relations at the federal level. Neither current nor classical theories have addressed local case studies, nor have they mentioned the potential value of such analyses. Civil-military relations occur at more than just the federal level, they occur also at the local level. In fact, this paper will argue that this is where the most important interactions take place, because this is where the voting public formulates its opinions and attitudes towards the military. If it is the intention of the US for the military and society to peacefully coexist, then healthy civil-military relations at the local level are imperative. Contemporary scholars, by focusing in the macro/federal level, have left out a vital piece of the puzzle.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 29, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA378697
Entities
People
- James W. Busch
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology