There is much talk these days about the growing military–civilian divide in the United States. After nearly 20 years of post-9/11 operations, news clips of military deployments overseas don’t resonate the same way they once did with the American public. It’s not that Americans don’t care. Uniformed military personnel routinely are thanked for their service in airports and other public spaces. Americans generously give to veterans groups and hire veterans in their companies. Yet, even with this support for Americans in uniform, the military increasingly is becoming an esoteric caste of people who are distanced socially, culturally, and professionally from many Americans.
Perhaps part of the reason for this growing divide is that Americans don’t have much tangible exposure to the military. The active duty population makes up just under 0.5 percent of the U.S. population.1 A recent Pew research study noted that only a third of respondents ages 18–29 had a close friend or relative serving in the military today.2 Here lies the crux of the military–civilian divide. We must do more to link the military to the American people whom we ultimately serve. Many of our best leaders and thinkers in the military and in the civilian sector have written on this subject. It’s certainly not a problem the military can solve overnight and it will take thought, time, and resources to close the divide. Perhaps the solutions are more cumulative than sequential. Here are a few observations and thoughts to contribute to this ongoing dialogue.
Let’s have more conversations. The military doesn’t have a visibility problem, it has a conversational disconnect with civilians. Most Americans are familiar with seeing service members recognized at sporting events, military jets conducting flybys, and members of the armed services marching in hometown parades. While these endeavors are great exposure for U.S. service members, we often gloss over the more meaningful opportunities to engage in real conversations with Americans, particularly young Americans, outside the military recruiting realm.
I recently attended a civilian–military training and simulation workshop at a local university. There were Navy volunteers in the course working alongside students, academics, and industry professionals. As the weekend wore on, the barriers between the disparate military and civilian teams seemed to wane as people engaged in candid conversation and compared the merits of their professions. I distinctly remember one Navy ROTC student talking about her dream of becoming a submariner and the work she had ahead of her to achieve that goal. Safe to say, most of the civilians at this simulation had no aspirations of following in the ROTC student’s footsteps, but her story and the exposure to this officer candidate provided her civilian counterparts with greater awareness and empathy of the professional journeys of Americans who choose to serve their country in uniform. Meaningful dialogue creates personal connections that bridge the military and civilian divide. Let’s have more conversations with the American people.
It takes the whole network to engage. The Navy, like other services, has an office of community outreach (NAVCO). This outreach team, along with a host of Navy leaders and service members, travels across the nation, particularly to places that don’t have much exposure to the Navy, to engage in community outreach activities with Americans from every walk of life. The service members and leaders who engage in these activities generously give their time and talents to connect the nation to its military. They should be commended for their work. However, their notable outreach activities only put a dent in the much larger task of bridging the military–civilian divide.
The services can’t do all outreach on their own. The military must continue to partner with armed forces advocates, veterans’ groups, and other like-minded organizations. Moreover, one service member can make big difference though their informal outreach. For example, a friend who is a sixth-grade teacher shared a story with me about a visit to his class by a Navy officer parent to talk about how the U.S. Navy serves the nation through its forward presence around the world. The students asked the officer questions about life in the Navy to why he decided to join the military. The teacher noted that this small engagement was one of the highlights of the school year and memorable for the students. Many of the kids had never before met a service member. The teacher said every student came away with a more informed perspective about the Navy and the military overall.
Let’s engage our skeptics. We hear more critiques these days about why the United States requires such a large military budget or Americans questioning the purpose of U.S. military involvement overseas. If those of us in the military truly believe we are doing the nation’s bidding, we need to engage beyond military-friendly audiences to skeptical Americans who may not see the merit of a well-funded, professional military force. This particularly is true for the Navy as a capital-intensive military branch that requires the support of the U.S. taxpayer to continue to fund ships, submarines, and aircraft.
Engaging skeptical audiences successfully requires a great deal of listening combined with thoughtful explanations of the importance of a strong military that are void of slick sales pitches. I distinctly remember a time when my organization invited a group of U.S. tech professionals to an aircraft carrier operating at sea. I was an escort for the group and helped orient the guests about what they could expect to see once they landed on board the ship. During the visit, the guests watched flight operations, talked to sailors, and had refreshments in the ship’s wardroom before flying back to shore. Afterward, one of the guests approached me and said he initially was skeptical about flying out to the ship. He questioned the utility of an aircraft carrier for the U.S. taxpayer given all the other competing needs of the nation. He noted this was his first real exposure to the Navy and he was blown away by the diversity of people and the technological marvel of an aircraft carrier operating at sea. While his skepticism wasn’t fully lifted by the visit, this tech professional noted that his perceptions had changed about the Navy and its mission. To me, that’s a small victory for the military–civilian divide. And we would never have made this connection if the Navy chose not to engage with some of its skeptics. We should do more engagement with Americans who are skeptical about their military and its mission. Even if these Americans remain skeptical, at least they’ll be more informed about how the military serves the nation.
There are many great ideas and actions that can help bridge the growing military–civilian divide. As military professionals we must continue the dialogue, our service branches must network with like-minded partners, and we must sustain our outreach to civilians in meaningful ways. Closing the military–civilian divide is a long journey that will take a generational effort. Every little bit helps. One person can make a difference. As a network, we can bridge the divide in due time.
Endnotes
1. Robert McFarlin, “The Overlooked Military-Civilian Divide,” The Hill, July, 15, 2016, https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/presidential-campaign/287817-the-overlooked-civilian-military-divide
2. Ibid.
