The Professional Soldier

A product of the Cold War era, Janowitz’s seminal study of civil-military relations seeks to answer who soldiers are, what they do, and what they believe. Janowitz, himself a World War II veteran, conducted extensive surveys of over 1500 US military members, spanning flag and general ranks, active-duty officers, and officers serving in staff positions in the military services, the Department of Defense, and the Joint Staff. Key among the messages that emerges is that military leaders are not born – they are made. Despite publication in 1960, The Professional Soldier remains an invaluable resource for the professional soldier. Whilst analysing the issues sitting at the heart of civil-military relations, Janowitz interrogates what it means to be a military professional – a crucial question all Army officers, commissioned and non-commissioned, must also answer for themselves and for the Army they want to be a part of.