The All-Volunteer Military
Calling, Profession, or Occupation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20140037 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Charles C Moskos (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Publication date | 2010-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The US Army War College Quarterly Parameters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0031-1723 • E-ISSN: 0031-1723 |
| Publisher | United States Army War College Press (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.55540/0031-1723.2556 |
| OpenAlex | W129754885 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 1 |
Discussion of the future of the armed forces usually involves a concern with technological developments or global strategy. To most of its membership, however, the military is understood and experienced as a social organization. Our purpose here is to apply developmental analysis to the emergent military from a sociological perspective. Developmental analysis entails historical reconstruction, trend specification, and most especially, a model of a future state of affairs toward which actual events are heading. 1 It emphasizes the “from here to there” sequence of present and hypothetical events. Stated in a slightly different way, a developmental construct is a “pure type” placed at some future point, by which we may ascertain and order the emergent reality of contemporary social phenomena. Models derived from developmental analysis bridge the empirical world of today with the social forms of the future. Put plainly, what is the likely shape of the military in the foreseeable future? Initially, three models—calling, profession, occupation—will be presented, describing alternative conception of military social organization. These models are evaluated as to which best fits current empirical indicators. The basic hypothesis is that the all-volunteer American military is moving toward an organizational format more and more resembling that of an occupation. Secondly, there will be a specification of some expected organizational out comes in the military system resulting form the shift to an occupational model. Finally, there will be several therapeutic proposals which might channel these evolutions toward a reemphasis of the military’s proper role in national service. Dr. Charles C. Moskos, Jr., received his B.A. degree in Sociology from Princeton University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from UCLA. A leading figure in the soci ology of the military, Dr. Moskos is Professor of Sociology at Northwestern University. He is the author of The American Enlisted Man (1970) and Peace Soldiers (1976) and the editor of Public Opinion and the Military Establishment (1971). Many of his other works have appeared in scholarly and professional journals, including Parameters. Dr. Moskos also presents a course during the electives program at the US Army War College
Political science · Volunteer · Defense, Military, and Policy Studies · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Law
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,08 |
| Citation span | 1989 - 2022 (34) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |