The Civil-Military Relations Initiative

Critical questions about how the military, civil government, and wider society interact within the liberal democratic paradigm drive the Civil-Military Initiative. By promoting knowledge and understanding of civil-military relations, this project addresses the contradictions and practical challenges encountered by democratic societies when they exercise military power. We launched the project in 2018 with a guest speaker program and in 2020 offered a new course: The Civil-Military Paradox in U.S. Politics and Society. Plans for expanding in the future include additional courses, scholarship, symposia, visiting scholars, and post-doctoral fellows.

Recent Events and Activities:

• Dr. Risa Brooks, Marquette University (confirmed for March 2022).
• Dr. Brett Van Ess, King’s College, London (confirmed for April 2022).
• Sexual Orientation, Military Service, and Citizenship, with US Army (retired) Col. Sheri Swokowski, Ph.D. (December 2021)
• Race, Gender, and the U.S. Citizen-Soldier, with Major General Marcia M. Anderson, U.S. Army Reserve (December 2021)
• Representative Elaine Luria, U.S. Congress: Reflections on Naval Service, Veteran’s Affairs, and Civil-Military Relations. (November 2021)
• U.S. Civil-Military Relations: Past, Present, and Future, with Dr. Richard H. Kohn, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (October, 2021)
• Technology and AI in Military Fiction and Reality, with New York Times bestselling science fiction author Jack Campbell (John G. Hemry; April 2021).
• 2021 CSLD Undergraduate Essay Competition Topic: “Should the United States make military or national service compulsory?” (April 2021)
• Sixteen Months in Bagdad: A Woman’s Perspective a virtual public lecture on war, PTSD, and recovery with Laura Colbert (February 2021)
• Sexual Orientation and the Military, with US Army (retired) Col. Sheri Swokowski, Ph.D. (November 2020)
• Arms and the University, with Dr. Donald A. Downs, University of Wisconsin, Emeritus (November 2020)
• Race, Gender, and the U.S. Citizen-Soldier, with Major General Marcia M. Anderson, U.S. Army Reserve (November 2020)
• Reflections from a U.S. Navy Officer and Wisconsin Veteran’s Advocate, with The Honorable Mary Kolar, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (October 2020)
• Civil-Military Relations: What They Are, Why They Matter, and How to Think About Them, with Dr. Richard H. Kohn, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (September 2020)
• The Silent Crisis in American Civil-Military Relations, with Dr. Tom Nichols, U.S. Naval War College (April 2019)
• Leading With Radical Courage: a Successful Civil-Military Strategy in Afghanistan, with Dr. Chris Kolenda (November 2018)
• Reflections on Reconstruction: an Informal Conversation, with Dr. Greg Downs, University of California–Davis (October 2018)