- "Civil–military relations (Civ-Mil or CMR) describes the relationship between military organizations and civil society, military organizations and other government bureaucracies, and leaders and the military."
The relationship and interaction between civilian political leaders and the military, including issues of accountability, decision-making, and the role of the military in politics.
Understanding the role of the military in society: This includes the historical evolution of the military's role in society, as well as the current responsibilities and functions of the military in relation to civilian government.
Constitutional and legal frameworks: This involves an understanding of the legal and constitutional frameworks that govern the relationship between the military and the civilian government, and the laws and regulations that define military operations and behavior.
Military culture and values: This includes an examination of the values and norms that shape military culture, such as loyalty, duty, honor, and service.
Civilian oversight and control: This involves an understanding of the various mechanisms of civilian oversight and control of the military, including legislative oversight, executive authority, and judicial review.
The use of military force: This includes an examination of the principles and ethical considerations that should inform decisions about the appropriate use of military force, including the criteria for just war and the principles of proportionality and discrimination.
Military professionalism: This involves an understanding of the qualities and characteristics that define military professionalism, such as expertise, discipline, and respect for the rule of law.
Civil-military coordination and cooperation: This includes an examination of the ways in which the military and civilian authorities can collaborate and coordinate their efforts, particularly in times of crisis or conflict.
Military justice: This involves an examination of the laws and regulations that define the military justice system, as well as the ethical principles that should guide disciplinary actions and punishments.
Human rights and international laws: This includes an understanding of the international human rights and humanitarian laws that apply to military operations, as well as the implications of international law for civil-military relations.
The impact of technology: This involves an examination of the ways in which technological advancements are affecting civil-military relations, particularly in the areas of military operations and communications.
Authoritarian Civil-Military Relations: This type of relationship exists in a country with little respect for democracy or human rights, where the military has considerable political power and control over the government.
Democratic Civil-Military Relations: In this type of relationship, the military is subordinate to civil authority and operates within the framework of democratic processes, with elected officials holding ultimate responsibility for national security decisions.
Corporate Civil-Military Relations: This type of relationship occurs when the military has strong ties to the business community and industrial complex that support defense spending.
Populist Civil-Military Relations: Populist Civil-Military Relations are characterized by a strong populist movement or ideology that pursues nationalist and often anti-democratic ends.
Pluralist Civil-Military Relations: In this relationship, the military is viewed as one of many competing actors in society that must coexist with a variety of other interests.
Military-Industrial Civil Relations: This type of relationship refers to the political and economic relationship between the military and its industrial partners, which can lead to conflicts of interest and issues related to accountability and transparency.
Civic Civil-Military Relations: Civic military relations emphasize that soldiers and civilians are citizens of the same society, sharing common values and goals.
Liberal Civil-Military Relations: This type of relationship is characterized by the primacy of individual rights and the rule of law, requiring adherence to strict ethical and legal standards within the military.
- "CMR incorporates a diverse, often normative field, which moves within and across management, social science and policy scales."
- "The goal of any state is to harness military professional power to serve vital national security interests, while guarding against the misuse of power that can threaten the well-being of its people."
- "Studies of civil-military relations often rest on a normative assumption that it is preferable to have the ultimate responsibility for a country's strategic decision-making to lie in the hands of the civilian political leadership (i.e. civilian control of the military) rather than a military (a military dictatorship)."
- "The military, an institution designed to protect the polity, must also be strong enough to threaten the society it serves."
- "Ultimately, the military must accept that civilian authorities have the 'right to be wrong'. In other words, they may be responsible for carrying out a policy decision they disagree with."
- "The rightness or wrongness of a policy or decision can be ambiguous. Civilian decision makers may be impervious to corrective information."
- "The principal problem they examine, however, is empirical: to explain how civilian control over the military is established and maintained."
- "The broader sense examines the ways society and military intersect or interact and includes topics such as the integration of veterans into society, methods used to recruit and retain service members, and the fairness and efficacy of these systems."
- "Apart from political science and sociology, Civ-Mil (CMR) draws upon such diverse fields as law, philosophy, area studies, psychology, cultural studies, anthropology, economics, history, diplomatic history, journalism, and the military, among others."
- "It involves study and discussion of a diverse range of issues including but not limited to: civilian control of the military, military professionalism, war, civil-military operations, military institutions, and other related subjects."
- "International in scope, civil-military relations involves discussion and research from across the world."
- "The theoretical discussion can include non-state actors as well as more traditional nation-states."
- "Other research involves discerning the details of military political attitudes, voting behavior, and the potential impact on and interaction with democratic society as well as military families."
- "The role of culture in military organizations"
- "The integration of veterans into society"
- "The integration of minorities, women, and the LGBT community into the military"
- "The behavior and consequences of private contractors"
- "Voting behavior of soldiers and veterans"
- "The gaps in policy preferences between civilians and soldiers"