Reassessing the Role of Veterans in U.S. Military Strategy

The U.S. military seems to have a flawed approach to reinvesting in a crucial asset: our veterans. Despite being tasked with transforming civilians into soldiers for over two centuries, there’s a surprising lack of emphasis on the value veterans bring to future military endeavors.

Events like the Army’s grand parade in Washington, D.C., and the Marine Corps’ famed Fleet Week are essential for fostering democratic civil-military relations. However, without a sincere focus on the vital civil and national security contributions of veterans, we might find ourselves repeating the historical conscription crises. I’ve recently reflected on this issue.

The government has not adequately acknowledged these essential contributions.

For 250 years, Americans have donned and doffed their military attire.

Time and again, soldiers, sailors, and Marines have returned to civilian life, yet the military’s recognition of these transitions has lagged.

Each military branch has, for centuries, consistently produced a shared outcome: veterans. However, the absence of a comprehensive National Veterans Strategy reveals a disconnect in how we study civil-military relations.

The root causes seem to stem from structural issues intertwined with longstanding policy choices, leading to a fundamental misconception: veterans are often seen as disposable within America’s civil society.

In contrast to nations like the U.K. and New Zealand, the U.S. has a separate Department of Veterans Affairs, entirely distinct from the Department of Defense. This physical and operational division seems to foster a psychological separation, where active members of the military receive precedence, while veterans often get overlooked as someone else’s concern.

Moreover, policymakers have missed opportunities to treat veterans as significant priorities for impactful policies. Despite the vast amounts of taxpayer dollars allocated to the VA, veterans’ stories are frequently framed as heartfelt appeals, rather than serious policy discussions aimed at addressing their challenges.

Since the U.S. reinstated a volunteer military in 1973, there’s been a tendency to overlook the role veterans play in shaping public perception and support for military service. Just like alumni represent universities, veterans inherently symbolize military service to the nation.

The way society engages with veterans—how we treat them, discuss them, and legislate—has immediate implications for the perception of military service.

Amid extensive economic deliberations, key components of the social dynamics necessary for maintaining a volunteer military structure were overlooked during discussions like the Gates Commission Plan.

This oversight has created gaps in understanding the importance of effectively transitioning veterans back into civilian life, which is crucial for sustaining military recruitment.

Veterans, while often overlooked, serve as constant ambassadors for national service. If we fail to facilitate their reintegration, we risk losing potential recruits for the various military branches. Reintegration significantly influences motivations for enlistment, which raises a direct national security concern.

For too long, there’s been disregard for the notion that military recruitment ties back to veterans, completing a life cycle that begins and ends with their experiences.

From the Revolutionary War onward, American military personnel, whether active or retired, have mirrored the public nature of our nation, albeit without an officially designated role. As John Adams once asserted, the common good cannot exist without an active pursuit of communal welfare.

Citizenship implies some level of public commitment. As the late constitutional scholar Walter Burns noted, the essence of citizenship lies in a shared identity and responsibility toward the community.

This does not strictly mean military service, yet military duty often serves as the most tangible expression of that obligation.

Now, 250 years after the formation of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, it’s crucial for military branches, their leaders, and the broader Department of Defense to grasp that a comprehensive, modern, and effective process is vital for successfully reintegrating each veteran into civilian life.

Establishing a National Veterans Strategy would recognize veterans as integral to the citizen-soldier life cycle, underscoring their role in both national security and civil society.

We need to celebrate veterans not simply with empty platitudes, but by recognizing and acting on their significance in the ongoing American story.