Civil-military relations

Civil-military relations are the ways civilian authorities and armed forces share, contest, and regulate political power, military command, and decisions about force.

Civilian control of the military: The principle that elected or otherwise constitutionally designated civilian authorities hold ultimate authority over the armed forces. It is the central test of how authority is allocated between political leaders and military commanders.
Principal-agent problem: A delegation problem in which an agent may pursue its own interests or exploit information unavailable to its principal. Civilian leaders delegate expertise and force to military agents but cannot monitor every decision.
The Soldier and the State: Samuel P. Huntington's 1957 book arguing that professional military autonomy can support objective civilian control. It established a durable framework for analyzing the military profession and political oversight.
Turkish coup d'état of 1980: A military coup that overthrew Turkey's government on September 12, 1980, and established military rule. It demonstrates direct military intervention in national political authority.
Concordance theory: A theory that civilian control is strongest when military, political, and social institutions reach a shared understanding of their roles. It contrasts with models that locate control chiefly in formal civilian command or military professionalism.
Military professionalism: A military ethic emphasizing specialized expertise, disciplined service, and institutional subordination to lawful civilian authority. Professional norms can support obedience while giving officers a distinct institutional identity.
Military autonomy: The degree to which armed forces make decisions without direct civilian direction or oversight. Autonomy captures the tradeoff between military expertise and political control.
Samuel P. Huntington: An American political scientist whose work addressed political order, military institutions, and civil-military relations. His distinction between objective and subjective control shaped influential theories of military subordination.
1958 Pakistani coup d'état: The coup in which Pakistan's president Iskander Mirza abrogated the constitution and General Ayub Khan took power. It illustrates how civilian-military power struggles can culminate in military-backed rule.
Agency theory of civil-military relations: An approach that analyzes civilian control as a delegation relationship between political principals and military agents. It emphasizes monitoring and incentives rather than professional separation or social consensus.

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