An Open Letter on Best Practices for Civil-Military Relations Authored by Eight Former Secretaries of Defense and Five Former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

We The People 1024x684

We are in an exceptionally challenging civil-military environment. Many of the factors that shape civil-military relations have undergone extreme strain in recent years. Geopolitically, the winding down of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the ramping up of great power conflict mean the U.S. military must simultaneously come to terms with wars that ended without all the goals satisfactorily accomplished while preparing for more daunting competition with near-peer rivals. Socially, the pandemic and the economic dislocations have disrupted societal patterns and put enormous strain on individuals and families. Politically, military professionals confront an extremely adverse environment characterized by the divisiveness of affective polarization that culminated in the first election in over a century when the peaceful transfer of political power was disrupted and in doubt. Looking ahead, all of these factors could well get worse before they get better. In such an environment, it is helpful to review the core principles and best practices by which civilian and military professionals have conducted healthy American civil-military relations in the past — and can continue to do so, if vigilant and mindful.

More News & Insights

Foreign Aid In Afghanistan, January 2023 Edited

International Institutions Confront Taliban Troubles

International leaders are struggling to manage a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan; they are torn between their commitment to alleviate Afghans’ suffering and their reluctance to legitimize a Taliban government that violates its…

Taskfroce153 Scaled 1536x864

U.S. Launches New Task Force in Middle East to Train Naval Partners

“This task force enables the United States to have less direct focus on this naval harassment campaign by building up the skills of local navies that will offset the security…

GettyImages 1257122412

By Banning U.S. Chipmaker Micron, China Hits Back at Western Tech Restrictions

China’s ban on the U.S. chipmaker Micron signals Beijing’s willingness to use more aggressive legal tools against Western technology companies in response to the United States and its allies’ expanding…

Receive BENS news and insights in your inbox.