Legitimacy and Commitment in the Military

by Thomas C. Wyatt (Editor), Reuvan Gal (Editor)

Overview

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 furbanishing the unconditional commitment that is the backbone of the military fighting spirit.

The volume's eleven chapters were contributed by an international group of leading behavioral scientists who write from the perspectives of a wide scope of disciplines, including psychology, sociology, history, philosophy, anthropology, and military studies. The work is divided into three main parts that focus on some of the theoretical puzzles inherent in the combination of military ethics and moral values; assess sources of legitimacy and commitment; and detail the manifestation and measurement of commitment and legitimacy in a variety of nations and organizations. The subjects of conscientious objection, educational benefits, the Army Reserve, and the Vietnamese, U.S., Soviet, and Israeli armies are a few of the intriguing topics scrutinized here. As a whole, Legitimacy and Commitment in the Military provides an essential collection for the military student, the scholar, the soldier, and military professionals who aspire to leadership. The various individual chapters offer unique insights for students and researchers in the fields of ethics, history, anthropology, and the behavioral sciences.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313268151
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/18/1990
Series:	Contributions in Military Studies , #10
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.62(d)
Lexile:	1450L (what's this?)

About the Author

THOMAS C. WYATT is President of Decision Sciences, Inc., in Virginia and serves as Adjunct Professor at George Mason University. He is a recognized authority on Reserve Components of military forces of the United States and other nations.

REUVEN GAL was previously Chief Psychologist of the Israeli Defence Force and has also served as a combat officer in an elite infantry unit of the IDF. He has taught at Haifa University in Israel and was also a Visiting Professor at Boston University. His book A Portrait of the Israeli Soldier was published by Greenwood Press in 1986.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Theoretical Issues: Values, Legitimacy, and Commitment
Limits of Military Legitimacy and Its Relation to Military Commitment by Reuven Gal
Between Social Legitimation and Moral Legitimacy in Military Commitment by Hillel Levine
Values: The Ultimate Determinants of Commitment and Legitimacy by Donald L. Lang
Commitment in Military Systems by Charles A. Cotton
Sources of Legitimacy and Commitment
The Legitimation of Combat for the Soldier by Frederick J. Manning and David H. Marlowe
State and Conscience: Stages of Conscientious Objection to Military Service by Charles C. Moskos
The Threat to the Legitimacy of War Posed by the Fallen Soldier: The Case of Israel by Eugene C. Weiner
Commitment and Legitimacy Manifested and Measured: Nations and Organizations
Armed Forces and Political Legitimacy in Tropical Africa by Claude E. Welch, Jr.
Educational Benefits and the Legitimacy of Military Service by David R. Segal and Jere Cohen
Societal Effects on Soldier Commitment in the Vietnamese, U.S., Soviet, and Israeli Armies by Wm. Darryl Henderson
Commitment in the Military: The Army Reserve Case by Thomas C. Wyatt
Conclusion
Recommended Additional Reading
Index