Citizen-soldiers

William Astore, Our Military's Disturbing Transition to Warriors (via Russell Arben Fox)

One could argue that the Federal Government and the Union Army have not actually promoted the idea of a citizen-soldier since the 1860s, if not before, and certainly using the military to prop up an empire seems counter to republicanism. The best way to maintain the ethos of the citizen-soldier would be to keep state and local militias, and to avoid engaging in 'unnecessary' wars abroad. (D.W. Sabin has a pointed comment in response to Professor Fox's post.)

Is it possible to be a warrior and a citizen-soldier? It depends on what sort of values (or virtues) are being held up for adoption. One does not want to be a warrior in the way the Spartans were. Aristotle criticizes them for being concerned only with war, and not realizing that war is for the sake of peace (and leisure). But he also points out that polities/republics are exemplified by the citizen's possession of martial virtues.

Perhaps the use of warrior imagery and language is necessary in a time when masculine ideals are being lost and society is growing increasingly soft. A change in language is not really the problem, given that military culture is beset with feminism and a 2GW mentality, and careerism affects the officers corps (at least those who aspire to have a nice office in the Pentagon), and the union is no longer a republic. Fixing the language without fixing the real political and cultural problems is rather pointless.