The American system of civilian control of the military recognizes that soldiers' attention must be fixed on winning battles and staying alive, and that the fog of war can sometimes obscure the rule of law.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
How do you keep war accountable to the American people when war becomes invisible and virtual?
The military wants a system that protects its policies and privileges.
Preparation for war is a constant stimulus to suspicion and ill will.
A professional soldier understands that war means killing people, war means maiming people, war means families left without fathers and mothers.
During war, the laws are silent.
We're so enamored of technological advancements that we fail to think about how to best apply those technologies to what we're trying to achieve. This can mask some very important continuities in the nature of war and their implications for our responsibilities as officers.
I think one of the great things about the United States has been our ability to maintain a distinction between our military and domestic law enforcement.
I think you also understand that one of the key things that's got to be done in Iraq is to build a mentality of understanding that the military needs to be subordinate to civilian control and respectful of its own people.
War is, in fact, an extension of politics, and in any war, military operations have to be conducted in such a way that they contribute to sustainable political outcomes consistent with vital interests that are at stake in that war.
Dead battles, like dead generals, hold the military mind in their dead grip.