Take for instance the recent paper published by Bryant, Swaney and Urben in the TNSR: https://tnsr.org/2021/02/from-citizen-soldier-to-secular-saint-the-societal-implications-of-military-exceptionalism/ … which notes clear evidence of a growing sense of exceptionalism within the officer corps. 8/25
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The pro-warrior literature isn't that old either. Gates of Fire - the perennial target of my ire - was only published in 1998. Read some WWII veteran memoirs - 'warrior' is, in my experience, a very rare descriptor for military personnel. 19/25
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Finally,
@EmanThinks makes the argument that a 'warrior' mindset improves cohesion. It may well, but if it improves cohesion at the cost of the civ-mil relationship, it is worse than useless. This is the exact mistake of elevating operational/tactical considerations...20/25Näytä tämä ketju -
...to the strategic level. Cohesion and lethality cannot trump strategic considerations - if greater lethality comes with a threat to the democracy, you accept lower lethality. Because - as Clausewitz says (drink!) - policy must rule. 21/25
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It is striking to me that this particular error in military thinking is exactly the one that tends to occur when military decision-making is insulated from civilian policy, see e.g. I. Hull above, or S. Ienaga, The Pacific War (1978). Perhaps there is a problem after all? 22/25
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This kind of argument often comes with the suggestion that civilians don't understand and shouldn't have an opinion which just leads us right back up to tweet 3. "The civ-mil is great and also if you are a civ and you disagree, shut up" is a self-refuting argument. 23/25
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Finally, I want to stress again that this shift to warrior-ism, and the mil-exceptionalism isn't the age-old thing that many current folks serving think it is - it's an artifact of the GWOT era and doesn't go back much further than that. 24/25
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But since the GWOT turns 20 this year, most current personnel know nothing else. And that is a real proble, which needs addressing sooner, rather than later. end/25
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Wow! And "actions disgraceful" sure happened the following year at Abu Graib!
Kiitos. Käytämme tätä aikajanasi parantamiseen. KumoaKumoa
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