Weinstein Leads IHI Lecture on U.S. Military-Civilian Divides
On September 29, 2021, the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future’s International History Institute (IHI) and the Boston University College of General Studies’ World Affairs Forum hosted a seminar titled “Afghanistan, the Forever Wars, and Military-Civilian Divides,” featuring Lt Gen Jack Weinstein, USAF (Ret), Professor of the Practice of International Security at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies.
In his remarks, Weinstein discussed the continuous presence of United States forces in the Middle East since Desert Shield/Desert Storm; the history and current issues with the all-volunteer military force; the structure, organization, the need for all Americans to understand its military; the need for civics education in the classroom; as well as the litmus test on the use of military force. He went on to argue that a new doctrine of military force must be applied before the U.S. gets into another conflict. According to Weinstein, there are two major considerations that need to be central to any new doctrine:
- Is the conflict absolutely vital to national security, and;
- Is the cause being fought for worth sacrificing your son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter, husband, wife, or any person you love? If not, then other people’s families should not be sent to fight such a conflict.
Jack Weinstein, Lieutenant General, USAF (Ret), served in the U.S. Air Force from 1982 to 2018. Prior to arriving at the Pardee School of Global Studies, he was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters United States Air Force, the Pentagon. In this position, he was responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff on all aspects of nuclear deterrence operations providing direction, guidance, integration, and advocacy regarding the nuclear deterrence mission of the U.S. Air Force and engaged with joint, interagency, and NATO to develop nuclear enterprise solutions. Read more about Weinstein on his faculty profile.