The Rise of the Military Welfare State

“Jennifer Mittelstadt offers a disturbing view of the armed forces as a high-value target in political clashes over public assistance… Politicians have pitted the military against civilians in the battle over social benefits, while barely attending to the needs of service members and their families.”—Martha Saxton, The Nation

“The Rise of the Military Welfare State is a thought-provoking examination of growing U.S. militarism and the economic costs of the transition from a conscripted to an all-volunteer (or all-mercenary) force. It will interest policy-makers, military professionals, and, not least, the taxpayers who have subsidized American military endeavors over the past forty years.”—Christopher Rein, Michigan War Studies Review

“A truly important book. Mittelstadt shows how the military welfare state has contributed substantially to upward mobility for both soldiers and their families. Her excellent account is especially crucial today, when outsourcing and privatization threaten the standards of living of service members and civilians alike.”—Linda Gordon, New York University

“Mittelstadt describes the emergence of a khaki safety net extolled as tangible evidence of the nation’s commitment to its soldiers’ well-being, and she traces how this support system was undermined by a combination of military and civilian agendas. This is a provocative, informed, and disturbing book that provides an essential perspective on the modern U.S. armed forces.”—Brian M. Linn, author of The Echo of Battle