The Generals' Revolt and Civil-Military Relations

Abstract

The Generals' Revolt resulted from a crisis in civil-military relations precipitated by a Secretary of Defense who discounted the experience and knowledge of key strategic leaders and refused to accept or even listen to divergent opinion. The gradual and continual politicization of the military along with a decline in military professionalism and ethical decision-making also contributed to setting the conditions for the revolt. As the nation moves forward under the direction of a new President it is time to mend civil-military relations, end the politicization of the military, and reemphasize the importance of military professionalism and ethical decision-making. These measures are necessary to protect the "trust" between the American people and its professional military.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 11, 2009
Accession Number
ADA508321

Entities

People

  • Lewis R. Snyder

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Air Force
  • Civil War
  • Congress
  • Department Of Defense
  • Education
  • Governments
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • New York
  • Students
  • United States
  • War
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Strategic Security Studies