December 02, 2019
The Many Questions Trump’s Pardons Raise About Civil-Military Relations
When President Donald Trump granted pardons to two Army officers—one convicted of war crimes, the other accused of them—and reversed the demotion of a Navy SEAL who was convicted of posing with the corpse of an enemy combatant, he exposed several troubling ambiguities about civilian-military relations in the United States. Civilian and uniformed defense officials feel most at ease when the dynamics of their relationship are clear-cut, with formal and tacit assignments of roles and responsibilities that leave little room for uncertainty. In practice, though, things are rarely so black and white.
There is only one certainty so far in the drama unfolding over the pardons: that Trump, as commander-in-chief, can legally order the Navy to cease an administrative review and allow Eddie Gallagher to remain a Navy SEAL. The many other questions of civilian control raised by this incident are gray areas.
Read the full article in World Politics Review.
More from CNAS
-
US waited too long to withdraw from Afghanistan
Commentary
There was no good way for the United States to exit the failed war in Afghanistan....
By Paul Scharre
-
Military Analyst: U.S. Trained Afghan Forces For A Nation That Didn't Exist
Podcast
NPR's Don Gonyea speaks with analyst Jason Dempsey about why, after years of U.S. military training and billions of dollars, the Afghan military has proven unable to stand up ...
By Dr. Jason Dempsey
-
Fierce fighting between Taliban and Afghan forces in Kandahar
Podcast
Christopher Kolenda joins BBC to speak about the latest updates on the situation in Afghanistan Listen to the full conversation from the BBC....
By Christopher D. Kolenda
-
The Afghan government failed to earn the trust of its people
Podcast
Retired US Army Col. Christopher Kolenda speaks to host Marco Werman about the need of Afghans to develop their own strategy moving forward. Listen to the full conversation f...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
