The Importance Of Military Experience In The Military
1441 Words
6 Pages
A president 's decisions while in office can make or break the country. There is an ongoing debate on whether or not there is a benefit to presidents having military service prior to being elected. Foreign policy, war, and leadership decisions can all be affected by the skills and knowledge a candidate would receive from time spent in the military. Although there have been successful presidents who had no military experience prior to holding office, military experience is essential to a president 's success as Commander-in-Chief. Certain skills that come from military experience are crucial while running the country. The article "Military Roots: Presidents Who were Veterans" states that "[Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower] exemplified the
…show more content…
The article "James Buchanan" states that "[Scholars] portray buchanan as timid, weak, and indecisive. Insecure and excessively reliant on the opinions of others, he was also prone at times to adhere stubbornly to decisions however flawed" ("James Buchanan") claiming Buchanan to be a veteran president who was considered unsuccessful in office. Buchanan was considered flawed as a president, but when the majority of the nation 's presidents have served in office, a few bad examples are to be expected. Although some would claim that Buchanan is proof that a military background is not in any way beneficial to a president, Buchanan is described as stubborn which is a negative attribute of his personality and not proof that military experience negatively affected his run in office.Though there are always exceptions, presidents with military backgrounds have done an overall better job and have higher approval ratings than presidents without any military …show more content…
All citizens know that in order for a candidate to lead the military successfully once elected they have to have an understanding of how things work and must value the work their soldiers do. Seventy-seven year old Mildred Baker stated in a recent interview that military experience is a quality she seeks when selecting a presidential candidate. She believes that values instilled in our nation 's veterans are crucial when determining the fate of the nation(Baker). It has often been said that there have been presidents with no prior military understanding that make great decisions regarding the military and foreign policy, but as Suri and Brown say, "[Former presidents without military experience] relied on former soldiers for guidance on how to judge adversaries, how to prepare American forces, where to deploy them, and most importantly, when to show restraint" (Suri and Brown) because there is a certain level of intelligence on these subjects that can only be acquired through service. Americans always consider whether or not a candidate has served in the military before making their decision on which candidate to elect as
The article "James Buchanan" states that "[Scholars] portray buchanan as timid, weak, and indecisive. Insecure and excessively reliant on the opinions of others, he was also prone at times to adhere stubbornly to decisions however flawed" ("James Buchanan") claiming Buchanan to be a veteran president who was considered unsuccessful in office. Buchanan was considered flawed as a president, but when the majority of the nation 's presidents have served in office, a few bad examples are to be expected. Although some would claim that Buchanan is proof that a military background is not in any way beneficial to a president, Buchanan is described as stubborn which is a negative attribute of his personality and not proof that military experience negatively affected his run in office.Though there are always exceptions, presidents with military backgrounds have done an overall better job and have higher approval ratings than presidents without any military …show more content…
All citizens know that in order for a candidate to lead the military successfully once elected they have to have an understanding of how things work and must value the work their soldiers do. Seventy-seven year old Mildred Baker stated in a recent interview that military experience is a quality she seeks when selecting a presidential candidate. She believes that values instilled in our nation 's veterans are crucial when determining the fate of the nation(Baker). It has often been said that there have been presidents with no prior military understanding that make great decisions regarding the military and foreign policy, but as Suri and Brown say, "[Former presidents without military experience] relied on former soldiers for guidance on how to judge adversaries, how to prepare American forces, where to deploy them, and most importantly, when to show restraint" (Suri and Brown) because there is a certain level of intelligence on these subjects that can only be acquired through service. Americans always consider whether or not a candidate has served in the military before making their decision on which candidate to elect as