The growing divide between the civilian and military sectors of American society has the potential to destroy what remains of constitutional government in the U.S. This program highlights the attitudes on the part of many members of today’s professional military toward the civilian society they are sworn to protect and analyzes the reasons for the growing gap between these two sectors. The officer corps is increasingly, openly and vocally “conservative” and some officers demonstrate attitudes that are openly contemptuous of civilian society and, to a certain extent, of some of the dictates of the constitution. (It should be noted that Mr. Emory agrees with many of the criticisms expressed by the military, but does not feel that the military itself should undertake to solve these shortcomings in civilian society.) The broadcast presents other factors exacerbating the split between civilian society and the military including: the materialism and egocentricity of civilians, as contrasted with the “unit” and “mission” orientation of the military; the fact that the top leadership of the contemporary military began their careers as professionals, rather than as draftees; the growing educational gap between an increasingly well-educated military and an increasingly under-educated civilian sector; budgetary constraints on the military that are likely to increase the resentment that the uniformed services feel toward the civilian sector; failure on the part of the civilian elite leadership to understand the unique problems of military life; and the dictates of military matters and the growing deployment of the military in “domestic” situations. That deployment could lead to the possibility of martial law at some point in the future. The program also presents discussion of a number of factors that could help to heal this rift including the re-institution of the draft and enrollment of military officers in civilian, rather than military, institutions of higher learning.
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