ABSTRACT
The future will make unique demands on the American military and its leaders. To respond rationally to these demands, both the military and the nation must understand the dimensions of changes and their potential for shaping the future. James Clotfelter and Guy Peters report on panel interviews with the same group of US Army officers in 1971 and 1975; their interviews and surveys reinforce the conclusions of Huntington and Sarkesian. Clotfelter and Peters find that military officers see major changes in their environment and in the tasks that they may be asked to perform. Over a period of four years, the officers felt a growing separation from civilian society. Localized and internal conflicts appear as future norms and may focus on territorial boundaries, food, and resources. Such conflicts will be exacerbated by non-government actors such as terrorists, ethnic minorities, and international corporations.
