Recent Publications

Strategic Insights: A New Era in Civ-Mil Relations: Rendering Advice to Those Who Do Not Want It
November 2, 2015 — Dr. Don M. SniderRecently, one of the most respected voices of those who work and teach in the field of American civil-military (civ-mil) relations, Professor Peter Feaver, provocatively offered the following question:When it comes to national security, should one advise President Barack Obama on the best course of action or just the best course of... MORE

Strategic Insights: A New Year’s Resolution For Army Leaders
January 26, 2015 — Prof. William G. Braun, IIIAmericans love winners and deplore losers. The U.S. military’s greatest challenge to proving its relevance stems from a general perception that it cannot deliver results when confronted by the nation’s most pressing foreign policy problems. Barry Posen advocates that the United States abandon the post-Cold War strategy of... MORE

Op-Ed: What Our Civilian Leaders Do Not Understand About the Ethic of Military Professions: A Striking Example of the Current Gap in Civil-Military Relations
November 26, 2013 — Dr. Don M. SniderOver the past couple of months we have seen a clear example of just how wide the gap currently is between the understandings of senior civilian and military leaders within the Department of Defense. Now that the episode has been resolved, or at least ended, a review can be educational. By a Secretary of Defense (SECDEF)... MORE

The Army’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence: Dealing With The Careerist Bystanders
July 11, 2013 — Dr. Don M. SniderThe Army’s ongoing struggle to win its battle against sexual violence within its ranks can be approached in two ways. The dominant one is to define the issue as one of a perpetrator, a victim, and a crime; the results of the institution’s inability to enforce professional standards of interpersonal respect and behavior. Following... MORE

Op-Ed: Where Have All the Army Generals Gone?
November 15, 2011 — Dr. Leonard WongIt was a bittersweet occasion when the Army's Chief of Staff, General Martin E. Dempsey, was selected for the position of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — the highest ranking officer in the U.S. military. Had he remained the Army's chief, General Dempsey would have ably provided critically needed leadership and wisdom as the... MORE

Civil-Military Relations in a Post-9/11 World
July 1, 2008 — Author: Dr Leonard Wong The civil-military relationship, and specifically the interaction between civilian leadership and uniformed military leaders, relies on the attitudes and actions of both civilians and the military. Although recently there has been tension in the relationship between civilian leadership and the uniformed (and retired)... MORE