The Politics and Influence of Military Service

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

As candidates run on their military experience, or presidents boast of trusting their generals, it becomes clear that the views and influence of military personnel--from the brass to the barracks--deserves our attention. Deploying qualitative and quantitative methods, the papers in the proposed panel advance this intellectual agenda by examining the influence of military elites and military service in a variety of contexts, from military doctrine to congressional votes, from national security decision-making to military policy and performance. (1) Goddard explores how norms come to shape military doctrine. Goddard argues that military elites are crucial “norm entrepreneurs,” agents that create the norms of war, and demonstrates this theory through the case of US air services justification of aerial bombardment during second world war (2) Jost and Kertzer examine when military, diplomatic, and intelligence advisers are more likely to influence national security decision-making. Leveraging a conjoint survey experiment, they explore individual preferences for U.S. cabinet appointments and the information and recommendations supplied by bureaucratic advisers. (3) Lupton addresses the influence of military experience on elite decision-making in the U.S. Congress. Lupton presents a thorough examination of the impact of military service on roll call votes in the House of Representatives from the 94th to 113th Congresses, with a special focus on foreign and defense policy issues. (4) Finally, Spindel and Ralston explore why different conceptions of military unit cohesion exist in the US military, and what explains why US service members endorse different views on cohesion. Employing a survey of active and veteran troops, they examine interactions between political ideology, military identity, and views on military service and cohesion.

Sub Unit

• DIVISION 19: International Security

Individual Presentations

• Entrepreneurs of Legitimate Violence: Military Elites and the Norms of War - Stacie E. Goddard, Wellesley College

• Armies and Influence: Social Origins of Bureaucratic Influence in Foreign Policy - Tyler C. Jost, Brown University; Joshua D. Kertzer, Harvard University

• The Vietnam Draft Lottery, Military Experience, & Congressional Decision-Making - Danielle Lupton, Colgate University

• Band of Brothers or Band of Professionals? Military Views of Unit Cohesion - Jennifer Spindel, University of Oklahoma; Robert Ralston, Texas A&M / University of Minnesota

Chair

• Jim Golby U.S. Mission to NATO

Discussant

• Michael Horowitz University of Pennsylvania