Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Dynamic Lives And Static Institutions Of The "Two Armies:" Data From The 1999 Survey Of Active Duty Personnel, Daniel Burland, Jennifer H. Lundquist

Dr. Jennifer H. Lundquist

The U.S. Army consists of two distinct functional components: soldiers serving in combat roles, on the one hand, and those who serve in support positions, on the other. Do these two functionally distinct segments differ culturally as well? Empirical researchers utilizing qualitative methods have supported a ‘‘Two Armies’’ concept. This article examines the phenomenon quantitatively by using a nationally representative sample of the active duty population. The authors find that there is a statistically significant difference between support and combat soldiers that holds even after taking into account differing demography. Interestingly, this is true mainly of White soldiers, and the …