Norm Deterioration in U.S. Civil-Military Relations

Document Type

Contribution to Book

Publication Date

2026

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Source Publication

Bend But Do Not Break

Source ISSN

9780197821114

Original Item ID

DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197821114.003.0006

Abstract

This chapter explores how norms against using the military for political gain have eroded among both civilian and military leaders. It begins with a discussion of the importance of norms and norm adherence across the US military, focusing on norms designed to protect nonpartisanship and norms designed to protect civilian control. The authors then introduce a novel framework for thinking about the health of norms, identifying the defining features and indicators of civil-military norm health among three key groups: military professionals, civilian elites, and the American public. The chapter provides evidence of norm deterioration across these domains, assessing the health of civil-military norms against this framework. Ultimately, the chapter concludes that civil-military norms are contested among military professionals, decaying among civilian elite, and contested within the American public. They assess that these deteriorating norms could have significantly implications for the health of the All-Volunteer Force and its relationship with American society.

Comments

"Norm Deterioration in U.S. Civil-Military Relations," in Bend But Do Not Break. Ed. Jaron S. Wharton. New York: Oxford University Press, 2026: 70-91. DOI.

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