Civil-Military Relations Amid Domestic Crisis

Description

Join the Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies for a dialogue on civil–military relations, featuring:

• Eliot A. Cohen, dean of the School of Advanced International Studies
• Mara Karlin, executive director of the Merrill Center for Strategic Studies
• Paula Thornhill, associate director of the Merrill Center for Strategic Studies
• Lt. Gen. David Barno (ret.), senior fellow and visiting professor at the Merrill Center for Strategic Studies
• Nora Bensahel, senior fellow and visiting professor at the Merrill Center for Strategic Studies

The speakers will address the politicization of the U.S. military and urgent issues of civil–military relations in the current environment. With President Donald Trump's order of the U.S. military and federal law enforcement to Washington D.C., the forcible removal of peaceful protestors to secure a photo op with military leaders, and Secretary Mark Esper's reference to American cities as the "battlespace," the divide between society and service members has rarely been so stark.

The speakers will also examine the implications of President Trump's recent actions on U.S. national security, both domestically and abroad. What are the various ways the current situation could play out? What are the medium- and long-term implications on civil–military relations? To what standard must we hold our senior civilian and military officials, as well as our service members?