How much civilian control should be over the military?

[kentuck]

Or, how much independence should the military have from civilian control? For example, since the military on the ground in Iraq know more about what is going on there than does their civilian "leaders", should they be able to make decisions about troop levels, weapons needed, and overall startegy? Or should all those decisions be left to the civilian leaders? And, a bigger question, what civilian leader should those decisions be left to? The Commander in Chief alone? Or with his Cabinet? Or should Congress be involved in any of the process?

[Eric J in MN]

1. Congress makes the law. The president should be able

...to make any of those decisions within the law.

[bridgit]

2. i think the whole Commander in Chief thing would survive a revisit...

if Vietnam & Iraq are examples of civilian control; then civilian control is not the best way to go imo

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

3. There has to be civilian control over the military, the civilian government MUST be at the top of

the chain of command.

Otherwise the risk of military dictatorship and coup d'etat is too high.

Of course, the American electorate is responsible for doing a better job electing the civilian leadership than it has done. Hopefully 06 is a step back in the right direction.

[alofarabia]

4. Agreed!

The military brass making all decisions on how to use the military may sound like the way to go given the current situation, but it would cause a huge risk of the military taking over. The Consitituion was designed explicitly to avoid military conttrol.

[bridgit]

5. welcome to du, alofarabia...

now if only the constitution addressed the very real likelihood of the establishment/take-over of America by civilian based, geopolitical oligarchies :thumbsup:

[alofarabia]

7. Much appreciated

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. "War is too important to leave to the generals." Georges Clemenceau

The problem with leaving the war to the soldiers is that, to soldiers, war is an end unto itself. Wars may be "won" in a purely military sense, but lost in a real sense.

[genie_weenie]

8. 100% with the addendum that the Imperial Military

be disbanded and a vigorous National Guard be created, which stays inside US borders now and forever.