Civilian control of the military is a foundational concept of democracy in the United States. In recent years, voices in the community that study the civilian-military relationship have raised concerns that civilian control is being slowly eroded away by the outsized participation of the military in national policy making. Todd Schmidt, Director, Army University Press, joins guest host Carrie Lee to share his thoughts on how the nation got here and what might be done to better balance the relationship. This is the sixth episode in our multi-part special series supporting the U.S. Army War College’s Civil-Military Relations Center.