Militarism (Paperback)

This book examines the political climate that contributes to the ongoing power arrangements between military wives, the soldiers they marry, and power dynamics of the military-industrial- service- complex. The tri-methodological research design used in this study included thirty-three in-depth interviews with army spouses and participant observation which took place on an army post, in off- post homes, at fundraisers, memorials, and at military and private gatherings. The third phase of the study was an analysis of four official military documents that prepared military spouses for protocol and expected behavior. This study's three tier methods design links the emotional, coercive, strategically planned and tactically implemented actions of the military-industrial-service-complex to the everyday lives of military wives and soldiers in situated and diverse contexts. In a militarization process, informal networks strengthen the formal institutional networks that reinforce military principles and hierarchical power arrangements. It is argued that militarization, war, and the global economy make exploitation seem normal.