Conventional wisdom holds that the American military is
overwhelmingly conservative and Republican, and extremely
political. "Our Army" paints a more complex picture, demonstrating
that while army officers are likely to be more conservative,
rank-and-file soldiers hold political views that mirror those of
the American public as a whole, and army personnel are less
partisan and politically engaged than most civilians.
Assumptions about political attitudes in the U.S. Army are based
largely on studies focusing on the senior ranks, yet these senior
officers comprise only about 6 percent of America's fighting force.
Jason Dempsey provides the first random-sample survey that also
covers the social and political attitudes held by enlisted men and
women in the army. Uniting these findings with those from another
unique survey he conducted among cadets at the United States
Military Academy on the eve of the 2004 presidential election,
Dempsey offers the most detailed look yet at how service members of
all ranks approach politics. He shows that many West Point cadets
view political conservatism as part of being an officer, raising
important questions about how the army indoctrinates officers
politically. But Dempsey reveals that the rank-and-file army is not
nearly as homogeneous as we think--or as politically active--and
that political attitudes across the ranks are undergoing a
substantial shift.
"Our Army" adds needed nuance to our understanding of a
profession that seems increasingly distant from the average
American.
General
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