The Cost of Loyalty: Dishonesty, Hubris, and Failure in the U.S. Military

West Point law professor Bakken debuts with a blistering, top-to-bottom critique of America’s armed forces. Placing revelations about the ongoing epidemic of sexual assault within the military and scandals such as the cover-up of the friendly-fire death of former NFL player Pat Tillman in Afghanistan in 2004 in a broader context, Bakken revisits the conspiracy to conceal the My Lai massacre in Vietnam and documents misrepresentation of admissions rates, violent behavior, increased “dissociation from civilian society,” and prioritization of loyalty over truth at U.S. military academies. He also notes the irony that the American public’s increased deference to the armed services has coincided with “seventy-five years of losses” since WWII. Bakken’s insider perspective, litany of shocking examples, and evidence-based approach combine to paint a grim picture of failures by U.S. political and military leaders and their implications for the future. Though his suggestions for reform, including abolishing the Uniform Code of Military Justice and turning service academies into civilian universities, seem far-fetched, this essential and disturbing account illuminates the state of the problem. (Feb.)