Military Aid Overseas and Domestic Civil-Military Interactions: Examination of Security Force Collaboration
In the realm of international security, the health of civil-military relations within the United States plays a crucial role in its ability to promote similar norms abroad, particularly in Security Force Assistance (SFA) programs.
The foundation of U.S. civil-military relations is built on the principle of loyalty to the Constitution, ensuring a stable and professional military that respects civilian control and the rule of law. This principle is vital when training foreign security forces to develop accountability and civilian oversight.
Clear roles and mutual respect between civilian leadership and the military also enhance discipline and coherence within U.S. forces, essential for providing credible, effective Security Force Assistance. Uncertainty or tensions can erode the moral and organizational example the U.S. military sets for host-nation forces.
Effective civil-military relations also influence how the U.S. mentors and shapes foreign defense institutions, ensuring that security assistance reflects good governance, accountability, and professionalism. The integrity of U.S. civil-military relations connects to broader national security, as loss of public trust or internal tensions weaken the U.S.’s ability to lead military efforts strategically and diplomatically.
In the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa, civil-military relations have been volatile in recent years, with a resurgence of coups and the need for security force assistance to prioritise civil-military relations. However, it's important to note that SFA is not a panacea for projecting or protecting healthy civil-military norms abroad. Professionalism is crucial, not only in the ways the United States trains foreign militaries in the deployment of military force, but also in imparting the value of healthy civil-military relations.
Recent surveys show that in countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, a significant portion of the population still trusts the military, with 56 percent of Burkinabes, 62 percent of Malians, and 70 percent of Nigeriens responding with "a lot."
The time for self-reflection on the health of U.S. civil-military relations is now, lest the United States risks transmitting the wrong values at best, and a crisis of legitimacy at worst. In the Sahel, where democratic governance has faced serious challenges, American foreign policy makers must carefully consider how to promote attitudes that lay the foundation for healthy civil-military relations now and in the future.
The United States is bound by institutional constraints, like the Leahy amendment and coup-related aid restrictions, that limit the choice of available partner nations and further require that would-be recipients rectify human rights issues and civil-military challenges for eligibility. The Joint Publication 3-20 stresses the "strict legal authorities" in the realm of security cooperation, requiring U.S. activities to enhance the capacity of partners in exercising responsible civilian control of the military.
Norms do not exist in isolation, and norm diffusion, or the spreading of domestic norms beyond borders, are critically important to global civil-military relations. However, in the Sahel, where democratic governance has faced serious challenges, the resurgence of coups and the increased support for military rule may be potential indicators of prolonged, repeated crises in civil-military norms.
In Mali, for instance, the Wagner Group has now fully replaced the French. Recent scholarship suggests that members of the Tunisian military who trained in the United States were more likely to support members of the military taking an active role in politics by voting or holding office after retirement.
In conclusion, the health of civil-military relations at home can influence the United States' ability to promote healthy civil-military norms abroad. The series "Rethinking Civ-Mil" focuses on expert commentary about civil-military relations in the United States, providing a platform for discussion and reflection on this critical issue.
- The integrity of U.S. civil-military relations is essential for promoting accountability and civilian oversight in Security Force Assistance (SFA) programs abroad, by setting a moral and organizational example for host-nation forces.
- Effective civil-military relations in the United States can ensure that security assistance reflects good governance, accountability, and professionalism, shaping foreign defense institutions in a positive manner.
- In the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa, where civil-military relations have been volatile, SFA is needed to prioritize civil-military relations while also recognizing that it may not be a panacea for projecting or protecting healthy civil-military norms abroad.
- American foreign policy makers in the Sahel must carefully consider how to promote attitudes that lay the foundation for healthy civil-military relations, given the resurgence of coups and the increased support for military rule in the region.
- Norms do not exist in isolation, and as such, the spreading of domestic norms beyond borders, or norm diffusion, is critically important to global civil-military relations, including in the Sahel where democratic governance has faced serious challenges.
