The military must exist based on hierarchical values that are—justifiably—unknown to a democratic society built on liberalism. Service in the military requires a life of sacrifice and order that runs counter to a civilian American upbringing. Adultery, for example, is against military law; you must seek approval to go on vacation; and you will lose your job if you gain too much weight. Such limitations on personal freedom are presumably objectionable to many Americans, and to society writ large. The military requires different lifestyles of its members, so we should be grateful that a caste of veterans’ descendants stand ready to serve.
In his 1957 book The Soldier and the State, Samuel P. Huntington defined the proper balance between a democratic society and a military that must exist based on contrary principles. Huntington paints a compelling picture of an American military forged between 1860 and 1940 that was built, not on "citizen soldiers," but on professional officers who saw themselves as set apart, or you could say "distant," from the society they existed to defend. William T. Sherman disdained any political involvement from officers, even to the point where he did not vote.
Having never served in uniform herself, Secretary Wormuth has spent decades cycling back and forth between bureaucratic outposts and think tank roles. She has evidently spent little time considering the military as a profession. Civilian leadership is necessary to promote trust in military leaders to manage training, tactics, and policies that make the fighting force lethal, so Secretary Wormuth need not have worn the uniform.
But her inability to comprehend the role of the military profession in society is a common but dangerous failure among defense leaders in both Democratic and Republican administrations. The military does not exist to reflect or mirror society, but to fight bloody wars on behalf of the nation. The culture and values required for this grave responsibility are, thankfully, not something one finds in most of the American population. We have a "military caste" that bears the burden of American warfighting. Public policy should embrace this reality, not wish it were not so.
