Should Presidents be from the Military? No.

On more than one occasion I have encounter people who believe military service should be required for elected officials i.e. presidents. Some go even further suggesting military service be mandatory for everyone. Which is more common throughout the world, many countries have mandatory service. For example, Israel has a two year commitment which is not the best example and expected. Another one less expected is Sweden. Mandatory service exists. It is not extremely common. Mandatory service is not even remotely close to a requirement for political appointment. It would be much better in fact. Make no mistake I do not advocate this, but it would be less damaging to the democracy than mandatory military service. 

Why would this be such a terrible idea then? A surprising 26 of 45 presidents have been veterans. The major exceptions of the last fifty years have been Trump, Obama and Clinton. Before that, one must go back to FDR to find a president who wasn’t a veteran. None have been active duty when elected. The statistic is surprising. The record of many are good, some are bad, some have almost been impeached. A mixed bag. There is no reason to require it then. It may add familiarity with the military bureaucracy. Which most presidents have since they are usually senators or vice presidents beforehand.  

The reasons not to do it are numerous if the lack of positives is not enough. The United States has always embraced an idea of civilian control of the military. The constitution makes that clear when vesting that power in the president. We should not reduce that separation to any extent. Also, military service for elected officials sounds rather dystopian. The satirical Starship Troopers is a good example. Service does not have anything to do with good governance or good decision making. Militaries cultivate a specific culture designed to carry out their mission. Generally, the mission is to kill people and break things. The military develops a certain perspective on foreign and domestic affairs from this mission. The tendency to see the threats others pose toward the U.S. is helpful for a certain perspective but is not the only one.  Our military is the greatest in the world and serves an important purpose for the country. However, it is not an institution of social change or leadership creation. So let's try to not undermine the country with stupid ideas because they sound quite to some nationalist.