Why the “Orders Project” is troubling
Recently the media (see here and here) reported on a move by several civilian attorneys and former judge advocates to offer what they describe as “second opinions” to “military and National Guard members who...
Category: Civil-Military Relations
Should local National Guard troops always be the first and only resort when civil disorders overwhelm police?
Not long ago a Washington Post reporter asked me about the use of the National Guard during what the Post described as “mayhem” in the District last June in the aftermath of the tragic...
Yes, the U.S.’ national security enterprise will ‘keep calm and carry on’
One of my students asked me about a rather overwrought news story that headlined “Trump’s illness raises national security concerns as Pentagon looks to reassure public.” While the health of the President should always...
Defense leadership, military service, and litmus tests: what is the right formula?
Does America want its defense establishment led by those who have never served in the military? Does the principle of civilian control of the military mandate that result? Can’t those who haven’t served still...
Not a campaign prop: avoiding politicizing the military in a hyper-partisan election season
As readers may recall, we’ve talked a number of times about civil-military relations, and the importance of keeping the military nonpartisan (see e.g., here, here, and here). Alex Ward, a reporter for Vox, asked...
Shortbursts: civ-mil relations, women in the drone industry, article honored, Coach K, LENS 2021, LENS Scholar valedictorian, and more!
“Shorbursts” is a Lawfire®occasional feature that aims to give you a quick volley of info on a number of items: Civil-Military Relations podcast: I had the pleasure of participating in a panel discussion about...
LENS Essay Series: “Calling Forth” the Cajun Navy? Legal Frameworks for Ad Hoc Disaster Relief
Have you heard of the Cajun Navy? You’ll have the chance to learn more because our newest addition to LENS’s online Essays on Law, Ethics and National Security Series features Zach Ezor’s “Calling Forth”...
Salute all who benefit the public, but recognize the uniqueness of military service
In their essay, “Whose deaths deserve to be honored,” James Joyner and Pauline Shanks Kaurin evince a curiously blinkered view of military service, and seem oddly vexed about the American public’s affection for those who...
Rename our military installations…and do it now
At exactly the point where the nation doesn’t need any more divisiveness in the wake of the George Floyd tragedy, a truly unnecessary dispute has erupted as the President has announced he wouldn’t even...
Anna Page on “Finding Shared Values in Unexpected Places: The Military and Higher Education”
How easy is it for a soldier to navigate the educational process on some of the nation’s most liberal campuses? Today’s guest writer can tell us as she is a graduate of Wellesley College...
