New Books in Military History cover image

B. A. Friedman, "On Operations: Operational Art and Military Disciplines" (US Naval Institute Press, 2021)

New Books in Military History

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The Dilemma of Political Power in the Military

In Western countries of course there is always a attempt to try and make sure that the military doesn't make political decisions. Every choice you may know in the country like the Soviet Union, every choice about procuring a weapons system or the training of the soldiers is always somehow related to the political doctrine of the Communist Party. These two diametrically proposed policies have gotten to the same result where you have senior officers who don't want to divorce their thinking from politics as much as they can. I think my point is more that generals shouldn't have political power, certainly, but they do have to take into account the political nature of war.

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