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

• Published date: 01 October 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X221088024
• Author: Patricia M. Shields
• Date: 01 October 2023
• Subject Matter: Commentaries

https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X221088024

Armed Forces & Society

2023, Vol. 49(4) 893 –912

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/0095327X221088024

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Commentary

How Afghanistan

Influenced the Content

of Armed Forces & Society:

An Editor’s Reflection

Patricia M. Shields1

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.

Keywords

Afghanistan War, military families, veterans, ISAD, civil–military relations,

postmodern military

In 2000, three icons of the field, Charles Moskos, John Allen Williams, and David R.

Segal, edited The Postmodern Military: Armed Forces after the Cold War.1 They

1Department of Political Science, Texas State University, San Marcos, USA

Corresponding Author:

Patricia M. Shields, Department of Political Science, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San

Marcos, TX 78666, USA.

Email: Ps07@txstate.edu

1088024AFSXXX10.1177/0095327X221088024Armed Forces & SocietyShields

research-article2022

894 Armed Forces & Society 49(4)

argued that the basic character of Western military organizations had changed. These

new post-Cold War, postmodern militaries relied on volunteers, engaged in new mis-

sions (not traditional wars), and experienced less combat. Their multinational forces

were often led by international organizations. In 2001, the terrorist attack on the twin

towers and the Pentagon resulted in the Afghanistan War—a war designed to root out

Al-Qaeda from Afghanistan. This war was led by the mature, volunteer force of the

United States and supported by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). An

international array of militaries participated. In late 2001, the postmodern militaries

of the West initiated their longest war.

I began my tenure as editor of Armed Forces & Society (AF&S) in February 2001.

The September 2001 terrorist attack was a triggering incident that had a profound

influence on the character of the military, its leadership, and the academic literature.

Clearly, the Afghanistan War was a climate-changing event for the “military and

society” field of study. My tenure as editor incorporates the entire war and gives me

a unique vantage point and opportunity to reflect and comment on how the articles in

AF&S changed over the course of the war.

I often use the metaphor of a forest or garden to capture the stewardship responsi-

bility editors’ have toward their journal. As stewards2 editors monitor and grow the

forest. They have a responsibility for the health of the journal, to keep out content

that does not fit the climate or mission, and to recognize and admit new content in

response to changing circumstances. This commentary on the changes to the content

of AF&S due to the influence of the Afghanistan war includes personal reflection and

a careful review of the articles published during the period.3

My reflection begins by setting a historical context, which includes events before

the war such as how the transition to the All-Volunteer Force reduced the size of the

force4 while the demands of two wars stressed the resources of the institution. These

trends resulted in innovations like multiple deployments and more reliance on the

reserves. Events during the war such as the involvement of NATO members and

partners in the effort also shaped the stresses and strains on the institution and the

service member who fought and worked to build a new Afghanistan. Hence, there

was significant international diversity in the literature.

To do this, first, the timeline of the war is review. Second, content involving vet-

erans, military families, and mental and physical health issues is presented. Third, I

shift gears and explore the institutional response to the challenges of fighting an

irregular, small war using volunteers. Thus, the journal responded with articles on

two key organizational change agents –reserve forces and contractors. Fourth, the

multilateral nature of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was also a

defining feature as was the task of nation-building. The content of AF&S reflected

this reality by discussing the challenges of international cooperation, cultural clashes,

and working with host nationals. Fifth, I transition to the home front and examine the

literature of public opinion. Sixth, the civil–military relations literature is examined.

Finally, I look at a few important articles with topics that do not fit neatly into the

above categories and conclude with a summary reflection.