Naval War College Review
Number
10
Abstract
Just five years ago, scholars with extensive Washington policy experience assessed that a civil-military relations crisis existed. They perceived that military perspectives were dominating the Pentagon during the first Trump administration. One book accused Secretary of Defense James Mattis of shirking his responsibility to maintain meaningful civilian control. Frustrated, midlevel policy officials faced a slew of bureaucratic initiatives and pressures from an aggressive Joint Staff. Was it a crisis, or were civilians outmaneuvered or unresponsive? Did the military have undue influence, and was civilian control really undermined? The timely publication of The State and the Soldier delivers historical context and credible policy experience to this issue.
Recommended Citation
Hoffman, Frank and Schake, Kori
(2026)
"Review Essay—A Wake for Objective Control—"The State and the Soldier: A History of Civil-Military Relations in the United States","
Naval War College Review: Vol. 79:
No.
3, Article 10.
Available at:
https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol79/iss3/10
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