CIVIL-MILITARY GAP

November 1999
		Is there a widening "thought gap" between civilians and the military? Colonel Charles Dunlap, Colonel Mackubin Owens and professor Richard Kohn respond to your questions.

Forum introduction Who gives the military its "reality check?" Does the gap go deeper than just between civilians and top military leaders? Do civilians understand the military's mission? Is the civil-military gap a function of natural selection? Should the military change to emulate society? Could a military coup occur in the U.S.?   Online Special: Background on the civil-military gap by forum participants. Nov. 10, 1999: A discussion on the civil-military gap. Sept. 20, 1999: A report on the lobbying campaign to save the defense project F-22. July 1, 1999: Gen. Wesley Clark discusses the war in Kosovo and the military lessons learned. April 15, 1999: A look at the continuing debate over the use of ground forces in Yugoslavia. April 8, 1999: Two experts discuss the draft issue in comparison to an all-volunteer military force. Browse the NewsHour's coverage of the military.     The TISS Project on the Gap Between the Military and Civilian Society "The Origins of the American Military Coup of 2012" by Charles Dunlap The Pentagon The Department of Defense

Steven Read of Piermont, NH asks: I'm an E-7 in the Air Guard with 7 years active duty experience. I've noticed a gap between civilians and the military society with whom I interact (enlisted, junior and field grade officers). Doesn't this gap go deeper than just differences between civilians and the top military leaders?   Col. Charles Dunlap responds: I believe you have a very good point: the "gap" between the perspectives of junior officers and enlisted personnel (the Generation X people) and senior officers and enlisted may very well be more significant than the gap between civilian and military personnel. The problem is that we don't really have the data to determine if, in fact, such a gap exists and if so, what it means.   Professor Richard Kohn responds: It probably does, but the TISS project surveyed only a select group of officers in the active force and reserve components engaged in professional military education almost all in residence. Another project exploring the broader connectivity between the military forces and American society surely is warranted, but in the absence of comparable data, anything I said here would be speculative.   Col. Mackubin Owens responds: In 13 years of teaching at the Naval War College, not to mention 26 years in the Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserve, I have not noticed the kind of gap that you mention. The isolation that used to characterize the military has diminished--military families are less likely to live on base than when I was growing up. The officers and NCOs I know are concerned about the same things as their civilian peers--raising their kids, paying their bills, etc. The primary gap I see is the "experience" gap, espeically when it comes to the civilian elites. With the end of the draft, fewer people will understand what military duty entails. By the way, I believe one of the best ways to manage the gap that must exist between the military and society is to maintain a vibrant reserve establishment.