The U.S. Air Force Just Another Interest Group? An Examination of Post-Cold War Civil-Military Relations

Periodically, the relations between America's civilian political leaders and senior uniformed members of the armed forces become an issue of national concern. Well recognized historical examples that describe the divide in civil-military relations include President Truman's relieving General Douglas MacArthur for defiant insubordination during the Korean War and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's clashes with senior military leaders over Vietnam War strategy. While most of today's national defense policy debates correctly focus on continuing operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Global War on Terrorism, there is a troubling gap underlying civil-military relations with potentially negative long-term consequences if ignored. Each military service can certainly identify examples of civil-military relations struggles, but the U.S. Air Force has a rich tradition of breaching acceptable limits in this area while advocating its airpower perspective.