The surveys of military officers, enlisted military personnel and civilians were completed in the spring. Peter Feaver, an associate professor of political science at Duke and one of the project's co-directors, said the survey results gave researchers reason for both optimism and concern. The elite military show a deep and wide support for the principle of civilian control over the military, and claim to respect civilian society. And civilians profess great confidence in the military and are not demanding drastic cuts, a kind of peace dividend.
Civilians recognize that the military is an important tool of American foreign policy.
Plus, there is consensus on many of the contentious issues that divided civilians and the military during the Cold War, such as the importance of the United Nations and the importance of arms control. But Feaver noted there are a number of disturbing trends that pose a future challenge to military effectiveness and civil-military cooperation and that warrant immediate attention. One such worry involves growing evidence of military alienation from civil society, Feaver said. There's also an increase in partisanship in the elite military corps. Indeed, the officer corps is probably the most Republican professional group in American society.