re: #416 kirkspencer

Except that as CinC, they are the civilian head in control of the military. It’s an explicit distinction - we have civilian control over the military in that they are answerable to a civilian leader.

Military service prior to being President does give such presidents insight into how the military operates, the costs/wages of war - but assuming positions like Sec. Def., War Dept Secretaries, gives those leaders knowledge that they might not have gained from positions outside the sphere of the military.

Yet, going forward it’s far more likely today for a president to be elected without military service precisely because we no longer have compulsory military service, and the WWs ended decades ago when millions of Americans were brought under arms.

In coming decades, it will be much less of an issue that a presidential candidate lacks military service as far fewer people in the general population are in the service themselves - the percentage of those who serve in the military versus the general population continues to decline as technology and downsizing have reduced the size of the military.