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Civil-Military Relations and Building Strategic Thinkers with Colonel Suzanne Nielsen
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Welcome to Inside West Point: Ideas That Impact with Brigadier General Shane Reeves. In this episode, we sit down with our guest Colonel Suzanne Nielsen, the head of the Department of Social Sciences at West Point and a leading civil-military relations scholar and expert. A graduate of the United States Military Academy with a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University, and a background as an intelligence officer, Colonel Nielsen provides insight into her research on change in military organizations, civil-military relations, and cyber policy and strategy.
We also focus on the Department of Social Sciences and the SOSH Research Lab’s work in the area of civil-military relations. The topic of civil-military relations is this year’s annual intellectual theme for the Academic Program at West Point, entitled, “Called to Serve: Military Leadership in a Democratic Republic.” Join us as we dive into these critical topics and hear about Colonel Nielsen's experiences at West Point.
In this episode, you will learn the following:
- What is the relationship between the armed forces and the society they serve?
- How can military expertise be connected to political and strategic thinking to achieve national interests?
- What are the lessons we need to teach young military officers?
- How is West Point leading in the area of civil-military relations?
Chapter Summaries:
[00:00:26]: Introduction to Inside West Point: Ideas That Impact and focusing on the SOSH Research Lab and the Department of Social Sciences work in civil-military relations.
[00:01:50]: Interview with Colonel Suzanne Nielsen, head of the Department of Social Sciences at West Point, discussing her background and research interests in the change in military organizations, civil-military relations, and cyber policy and strategy.
[00:06:35]: Discussion on the importance of political awareness and the role of military activities in serving political purposes.
[00:16:58]: Apolitical vs nonpartisan; advice for young officers; impact of social media; SOSH research lab;
[00:20:08]: Comparison of the works of Morris Janowitz and Samuel Huntington on the
professional soldier and the education of officers.
[00:27:05]: Discussion on the role of values in creating an inclusive and unified military.
[00:32:35] Overview of the SOSH Research Lab’s initiatives and projects, including a
longitudinal survey of cadet attitudes towards civil-military relations.
Resources in this episode:
Annual Intellectual Theme: bit.ly/CMRTheme
Article, “The Continuing Relevance of Morris Janowitz’s The Professional Soldier for the
Education of Officers”: bit.ly/WP_SNHL
Department of Social Sciences: bit.ly/WP_Sosh
Sosh Research Lab: bit.ly/WP_SRLab
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