The term "2020" is often a reference to clear vision and clear perception. The year 2020 and the first days of 2021 have proven to be an exceptionally important and fraught one regarding civil-military relations, but its implications remain ambiguous. To help bring the events of 2020 -- and the attack on the Capitol of Jan. 6, 2021 -- in sharp focus, this session will focus on key developments and dilemmas, their implications, and what can or should be done in terms of norms and laws. Our expert panel will reflect on our civil-military system's response to the pandemic (including controversy and dismissals stemming from a COVID outbreak aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier), racism-related civil unrest (particularly the Lafayette Square incident of June 1, 2020, concern about politicization of the armed forces by the President, and pushback from top civilian and military defense officials to presidential interest in domestic deployment of active duty federal troops in U.S. cities pursuant to the Insurrection Act), and suggestions and worries that our armed forces could be forced into involvement in the 2020 election. We will also reflect on the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by supporters of the Commander in Chief, and nomination of another recently-retired military officer to be Secretary of Defense. This is a full but necessary agenda for any discussion of the current state of civil-military relations in the United States, and what key stakeholders (current and former military, senior civilian Executive Branch leadership, the Congress, and the public) can or should do to buttress vital civil-military norms and legal structures going forward.
Mershon Center Senior Faculty Fellow Dakota Rudesill will be moderating this event.
