Civilian Control of the Military
Provide a 150 word minimum response to each of the 2 postings of the classmates in regards to questions A and B.
Please note you can agree or disagree in your response with any of the responses from the classmates as long as you back it up with explanation and facts. You must use at least 1 source from class readings for each response at minimum and 2 other sources from class or outside of class.
In-text citations must be done in accordance with College Style Guide attached and not APA. (Questions A and B responses below have done citations appropriately).
QUESTION 6A: “Civilian control of the military ensures that the problem in civil military is always the military failing to understand/accept their subordinate position in the relationship, a problem that will be exacerbated as great power competition with China and/or Russia increases,” defend or refute this statement with reference to the readings.
QUESTION 6B: “Civilian control of the military places the United States at a distinct disadvantage in a near peer conflict with China or Russia,” defend or refute this statement with references to the readings.
Justify and support your answer using your experience and source support from the assigned readings.
Classmates responses:
A’s response to Question A:
While it may be true that the military gets frustrated with their subordinate position, a larger issue looms in the civil-military relationship: a disconnect amongst the civilian leadership itself. This directly complicates our armed forces’ strength in a Great Power Competition.
Critics of the civil-military relationship argue that the military is becoming too comfortable confronting and resisting civilian policy makers in reference to recommendations they had made (Owens, 2011, 3). Last year’s National Defense Authorization Act codified that the Marine Corps retain a floor of 31 amphibious ships in its fleet. A bipartisan, bicameral majority of Congress agreed that in order to maintain a quick-reaction-force capability – in the Indo-Pacific, specifically – 31 amphibious ships is the minimum. But this year, the Pentagon requested to bring the number of amphibious ships below 31; in other words, the Administration is breaking the law that Congress has instated (Megan Eckstein, “Marines