Legitimacy and Commitment in the MilitaryThomas C. Wyatt, Reuven Gal An innovative addition to the literature of military studies, this exploration of the issues of legitimacy and commitment in the military focuses on the contemporary military situation, critically analyzing current fault lines and future trends in this area. The editors, Thomas C. Wyatt and Reuven Gal, contend that post-World War II wars are different from the two wars preceding them, that the nontraditional wars in Algeria, Vietnam, Pakistan, Lebanon, the Falkland Islands, and Grenada, among others, can be characterized by issues of national concensus and home support, political debates, moral argumentations and counterargumentations, demonstrations and alienation, and conscientious objectors. In such wars, weapons systems, training, and tactics become secondary to issues of legitimacy and commitment. Military organizations, too, are different in that they are now prepared not only for wars but also for peace and peace-keeping missions that consist of police-type or constabulary tasks. Also, the volunteer army has largely replaced the army composed mainly of conscripts, and these better-educated soldiers are different in that they will examine carefully the sources of military legitimation before furnishing the unconditional commitment that is the backbone of the military fighting spirit. |