How Afghanistan Influenced the Content of Armed Forces & Society: An Editor’s Reflection

Abstract

This commentary examines the influence of the Afghanistan war on the content of Armed Forces & Society. My 20-year tenure as editor of Armed Forces & Society overlaps completely with the war. Using the lenses of the postmodern or post-Cold War military, I reflect on how the articles of this journal were influenced by the war. The postmodern military relies more heavily on volunteers, is more likely to engage in unconventional missions, and more likely to use multinational forces. I found an increase in articles devoted to reserve forces and contractors. In addition, many articles investigated the unique management challenges of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The multiple deployments and brutal nature of the war led to a large increase in health/mental health articles and also contributed to changes in the scope of the military family and veterans’ literature. The limited civil–military relations literature was affected indirectly.

Perspectives on the Afghanistan War: Commentaries on a Misadventure

“…His call inspired this issue and the commentaries that follow. Pat Shields (2023) sets the stage with a review of key events of the Afghanistan War. Her commentary, “How Afghanistan Influenced the Content of Armed Forces & Society: An Editor’s Perspective” uses characteristics of the postmodern military to trace the ways the people who fought and the institutions that participated in the war changed over the 20 years.…”

“…The genesis of this symposium began at a coffee shop shortly after the American withdrawal when Armed Forces & Society editor, Pat Shields, read a set of heartfelt Tweets that summarized retired Navy Captain Don Inbody's reaction to the Afghanistan withdrawal. It seemed obvious that Armed Forces & Society should respond to this calamitous prolonged misadventure that captured the attention of western militaries during much of the post-cold war period (Shields, 2023). Don called for a multidisciplinary and non-partisan exploration of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.…”