Civil-Military Issues in A Complex World -American Defense Policy

Answer for Question No . 1

According to Cohen , supreme command ' is a bureaucratic process characterized by interwoven political and military decision-making at the top level of government . It consists of three elements (1 strategic command posts as centers of activity (2 ) standing committees to coordinate the work of the military and subsequently other government agencies and (3 ) communication lines from the field to the center of government

Unequal dialog ' as a style of supreme command is a civilian-military relationship which does not acknowledge the existence of principled boundaries between civilian

and military authorities . Cohen 's basic idea of unequal dialog ' between civilian politicians and senior military officers recognizes that , depending on the circumstances , civilians may get involved in decisions which may even be of their affair , but is necessary because of the following eventualities (1 ) the political nature of war (2 ) the peculiar aspect of military professionalism which is oftentimes grounded on some considerable amount of uncertainty and (3 ) the probability that those who rose to the top during peacetime may not be as effective for high command posts in war

From the reading , Cohen gave me the impression that an ideal civilian-military relationship is one that is rooted in the principle of unequal dialog . As can be expected from a relationship where technical boundaries were not specifically delineated , Cohen described the norm of a healthy civil-military relationship at the top of the government as that of tension and interference , with the resulting friction real . However , by any measure , not all civil-military relations characterized by comity can be branded as unhealthy or healthy . Bland pleasantness , according to Cohen , is an indication that either one or both groups have succumbed to the courtier mentality of the other

Answer for Question No . 2

The Huntington and Janowitz views were based on opposing propositions of one needing to reach out to the other to bridge the widening gap between the politicians and the military . Huntington espoused the idea that the gap can be best bridged if the civilian society tolerates , if not embrace , the conservative views which animate the military culture and that politicians should allow the armed forces a substantial degree of cultural autonomy . Janowitz , on the other hand , believes in the necessity of the military culture adapting to the changes in the civilian society and adjusting to the needs and dictates of the civilian authorities

Each group of heirs or supporters of the two opposing views advanced four principal assertions . Huntington 's group forwarded the following statements (1 ) politicians have strayed from traditional societal values and intend to destroy the healthy and functional civil-military differences , specially in the areas of gender , sexual orientation and discipline (2 ) the military is divorced in values from a political and cultural elite that is , itself alienated from the general public (3 the civilian elite is ignorant and even hostile to the armed forces and are eager to subject the military to an action research ' on social change , even at the cost of crippling its...