The Modern American Military

When the draft was abolished in 1973, proponents of an all-volunteer army enthusiastically looked forward to a cheaper, more democratic, and more accountable military. What they didn’t foresee was the slow and steady critical disengagement of Congress, citizens, and the media from the goings-on of the armed forces. In the 91st Congress (1969–1971), 78% of its members had served in the military; today that number has dropped to 22%. And unlike the Vietnam War, which produced fierce opposition in Congress, today’s wars are more difficult to criticize on the floors of the Senate or House: members have learned to fear the “political fallout from charges of ‘not supporting the troops.’ ” In an attempt to reeducate and reengage the public, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian and Stanford professor Kennedy (Freedom from Fear) convenes 13 scholars from around the country to weigh in on timely topics like women in the military, the shift from a reliance on the “citizen-soldier” to the “warrior-professional,” military justice, weapons technology, and the business and ethics of military contractors. Academic yet accessible, this volume offers thoughtful and occasionally disturbing insights into the workings of the world’s most powerful war machine. (June)