Militarism: Micro-macro Power Arrangements Between Wives, Soldiers, and the Military-industrial-service-complex

This dissertation examines the political climate that contributes to the ongoing power arrangements between the military wives, the soldiers they marry, and the military institution in relation to the power dynamics of the military-industrial-service-complex. The tri-methodological research design used in this study included thirty-three in-depth interviews with army spouses and participant observation which took place on an army post, in off-post homes, at fundraisers, memorials, and at military and private gatherings. The third phase of the study was an analysis of four official military documents that were prepared for military spouses with the intention of instructing them on formal protocol and expected behavior. This study's three tier methods design links the emotional, coercive, strategically planned and tactically implemented actions of the military-industrial-service-complex to the everyday lives of military wives and soldiers in situated and diverse contexts. In a militarization process, informal networks strengthen the formal institutional networks that reinforce military principles and hierarchical power arrangements. Adding to other feminist studies on militarism and globalization, this project links the military wives to women in general and demonstrates how gender and social class often limit economic opportunities and lifestyles. It is argued that militarization, war, and the global economy make exploitation seem normal. It becomes reasonable to exploit immigrants, people displaced during political and economic trauma, and military families on behalf of the pleasure-seeking values of the shopping, gaming and service industries in the United States and other powerful nations.