National security policymaking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

National security policymaking - Essay Example An ideal civil-military relationship is one where civil leadership provides the broad political and security objectives, while military leadership is primarily concerned with the execution of such civilian policies on the field (Elliot, 2002:2). The military institution functions on the basis of a set of values that restricts individual behavior since it emphasizes organizational success and victory in war over the elevation of personal goals.3 However as Feaver and Kohn (2000) point out, since there is currently an absence of an urgent threat to the nation’s security, democratic society will not support an adequate military, as a result of which the military’s loyalty to civilian authority is likely to diminish. Hooker (2003-4) asserts that civilian control over the military is undisputed, since Presidential approval is required for all senior military officers and Congressional approval is mandated for all officer promotions4. Military structure, pay and budgets are regulated by civilians, therefore civilian authority can disregard independent military advice. However, as Hooker points out, the reality is that civilian authority which attempts to force the military to do its bidding may pay a political price, since opposition parties are likely to exploit such differences of opinion, especially in war time. Besides, political leaders consistently seek affirmation from the military for their programs and policies. Military leaders are obligated to testify honestly to Congress about policy decisions affecting their service – especially those they disagree with, while simultaneously refraining from publicly exposing differences within the Administration due to the acknowledged preceden ce of civilian authority, which again blurs the dividing line between civil and military. A survey conducted by Hooker5 demonstrates that the civil-military gap is widening, with the increasingly