Effective Civil-Military Relations: A Necessary Ingredient for Success in America's Future Strategic Environment

To be effective in the future strategic environment, U.S. civilian and military leaders will need to better harmonize their relationships and efforts. The historical record, as well as recent events, indicate current and future American senior military leaders could certainly benefit from a deeper understanding of U.S. civil-military relations. In the recent aftermath of Secretary of Defense Gates' dismissal of several senior military and civilian leaders, and with the recent firing of Army General Stanley McChrystal, it is clear there is still much work to be done to harmonize efforts and limit the friction generated within the critical civil-military relationship. With the Joint Advanced Warfighting School (JAWS) focused on educating rising senior military leaders on the art of translating high-level strategy into operational ways and means, the addition of a civil-military relations course to the curriculum would certainly be beneficial and will prepare rising military leaders to better leverage the civil-military relationship and enhance the level of collaboration demanded by the nation's future strategic challenges.