CIVILIAN CONTROL OVER THE MILITARY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The opinion contains an analysis of various aspects of the civilian control of the U.S. armed forces. It refers to legal, institutional and political aspects of the civilian control. Due to the American strategic and political culture, the article refers to events and facts from before independence of the American republic, e.g. the phenomenon of voluntary draft, the so-called colonial, then state militia, which is so specific for the American strategic culture, that one cannot explain it without clarifying the history of English colonies in North America (the United States National Guard refers to this very tradition). Similarly, the attitude towards the regular army had been characterized by American citizens' distrust for over 150 years. The position, role, status and perception of the armed forces had greatly changed after the Second World War. Changes in the relation between the civilian and military spheres are thoroughly discussed.