Are Retired Flag Officers Overparticipating in the Political Process?

First, elected leaders may lose trust in military advice if retired flag officers endorse candidates.43 Second, endorsements may lead the active-duty force to assert increasingly political views.44 Finally, endorsements may undermine the confidence in the military that is rooted in the view of the military as nonpartisan.45 The concern that a president may lose trust in his military advisors is re. [...] As previously mentioned, political activity of active-duty servicemembers is restricted by the Department of Defense.50 After retiring, however, the political activities of flag officers may set an example of increased partisanship or participation for those still in the ranks. [...] Between 1988 and 2016, Gallup surveys report a 15 percent increase in the public reporting a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the military.56 Over the same period, the total retired flag officer endorsements in presidential election cycles increased from 1 to 180, with a peak of 506 endorsements in 2012.57 Increased general officer endorsements are strongly correlated with confidence in. [...] As of December 2019, the US Senate continues to confirm general and flag officers by voice vote—hardly an indication of mistrust in military officers by national political leaders.60 Likewise, the active military is less partisan today than when party politics were pushed out of the military “by ending the practice of electing officers.”61 Today’s troops vote in elections and abide by policies lim. [...] The views and opinions expressed in Parameters are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, the US Army War College, or any other agency of the US government.