United States civil-military relations: Finding equilibrium in the changing national security environment

There has been an ongoing debate for several years on the "crisis" that has developed in American civil-military relations. The U.S. military has been criticized for inappropriate behavior and insubordination to civilian control. Some scholars believe that the American military has become an independent bureaucracy, more concerned with its own interests as opposed to national security.; While there is evidence of problems demanding attention, these issues are more symptomatic of the traditional ebb and flow of American civil-military relations. Although there is no "crisis", the American military's attempts to dictate when and where it will intervene with force (i.e. the Powell Doctrine) is very disturbing in light of the changing national security environment. Civilian leaders need to ensure they increase their understanding of the military and the role it plays in national security to help alleviate this potential problem.