How conservative is USNA?

cstamm

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Seeing as the academy is a military institution, I expect many of its students are more right leaning or conservative. I was wondering how much political diversity there is at USNA and how those who don't subscribe to republican or conservative beliefs are treated.

I know that politics is a really touchy subject right now and I apologize in advance to anyone who might take offense to a political question on these forums.
 
This actually comes up every 6-12 months on this forum. I say that to show, you aren’t alone in this question. Yes the military in general tends to be right leaning. The officer corps tends to be also. But, you will find people with all political views in the military and at USNA. USNA is much more diverse than what many think in political views. Remember USNA is mostly 4000 18-24 year old young adults. For most it’s the first time living away from home, in a different part of the country with other young adults from all over the place. It’s a time of growth, education (both in life and books) and experience. This all leads to what many college students do... they start to form their own identifies, challenge their assumptions and become strong, independent adults.
 
cstamm - Having spent 24 years in the Navy, with multiple deployments, I can honestly say - ONLY from my perspective - that the external perspective that the military leans right is misleading. We are a cross-section of the population; we have a diversity mix that resembles the general population - and is actually slightly more diverse. As an example - Whites are 73.6% of USA and 70.7% of military. African American population is 17% of military - while is 12.6% of US Population. I could go on.. (see this demographics report for more details http://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Reports/2015-Demographics-Report.pdf) Bottom line - we are very representative of the general population. I find that it is the Press - overall - who seem to portray us as right-leaning.

Now... all of that being said - what we DON'T do in the military is talk politics, especially in uniform. We represent the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We are an arm of Policy and a tool to be employed, representing the M in DIME or DIMEFIL. That's why the JCS doesn't express opinions during the State of the Uniton. We express ourselves by our vote. My experience back in school (Note - USMMA but spent about 2-3 weeks of total time at USNA for a variety of activities) was that our Officers and Instructors try very hard to make sure we understand these expectations.

I hope others can enlighten you about the current environment - but I can honestly say that the current environment of the Military is that we do our jobs - and leave the politics to the politicians!
 
My perspective after more than 30 years as an officer and the spouse of an officer.

While a majority of individuals in the military may lean to the "right" (I think the terms "left" and "right" can give poor identities of one's true political beliefs, but that's a different subject), or perhaps trend more "little "r" Constitutional republican"/"conservatarian" as long as you follow the UCMJ and the tradition of outward apolitical bearing you will generally be judged on the merits of your performance first and foremost. It's not unusual when flag officers retire for there to be some curiosity among military members and sometimes even the press about how they will "fall" politically.

As written above the military as a whole tends to be apolitical. There is a tradition among officers of not even registering for political parties though some do. If you go on a military installation you will rarely see a political bumper sticker aside from the occasional "Don't tread on me" sticker. Political discussions may occasionally occur among peers over a few beers, but I have never heard any political discussions when those of unequal ranks are socializing and it is greatly frowned upon. I can never recall discussing politics with a superior or a subordinate outside of situations where it applied to a mission. As a matter of fact, any expression of politics is greatly restricted in uniform and frowned upon out of uniform.

The one exception to the above is the classroom, be it at the academies or in professional education. Even in those cases, however, it is related to classroom discussions and the students/instructors participating tend to keep it focused on the subject at hand and within the classroom.
 
I cringe at this topic, seeing what's going on at other universities and pray it doesn't come to the USNA.

It will not and frankly can not. Mids/Cadets are members of the US military and thus their ability to protest is severely limited by the UCMJ. Those restrictions aren't all encompassing but they are pretty strict especially when wearing the uniform or 'on duty'.
 
I cringe at this topic, seeing what's going on at other universities and pray it doesn't come to the USNA.

It will not and frankly can not. Mids/Cadets are members of the US military and thus their ability to protest is severely limited by the UCMJ. Those restrictions aren't all encompassing but they are pretty strict especially when wearing the uniform or 'on duty'.
Except for the guy from West Point who declared himself to be a communist and hated the US and the military
 
As written above the military as a whole tends to be apolitical. There is a tradition among officers of not even registering for political parties though some do. If you go on a military installation you will rarely see a political bumper sticker aside from the occasional "Don't tread on me" sticker. Political discussions may occasionally occur among peers over a few beers, but I have never heard any political discussions when those of unequal ranks are socializing and it is greatly frowned upon. I can never recall discussing politics with a superior or a subordinate outside of situations where it applied to a mission. As a matter of fact, any expression of politics is greatly restricted in uniform and frowned upon out of uniform.

Not sure what military installations UHBlackhawk has been stationed at, but I saw quite a few bumper stickers, mostly conservative, at my last base and even more at my current station. Also, as an AD officer I have never heard of any "tradition" of not registering with political parties. I know many officers, both AD and retired, who have done so.

Now... all of that being said - what we DON'T do in the military is talk politics, especially in uniform.

Again, I've heard many a servicemember talk politics, both behind closed doors and in the office. Granted, it was all done respectfully for the most part, but it still occurred. I will agree with UHBlackhawk that is not common to see servicemembers who are far apart in rank or officers/EM's to discuss politics together, but it really isn't that uncommon for young officers and young EM's to discuss politics among their peers.

I think the recent election season saw a few changes, whether they be temporary or permanent, regarding attitudes toward politics in the military. Was it because we had a candidate who was caught keeping classified info on an unclassified medium (something servicemembers would be court-martialed for)? Maybe. Was it because some thought that President Trump was unfit to lead the nation's military? Maybe. But I think you will find that some political issues can't just be "not talked about" in the service, especially those that deal with readiness issues such as transgender service, or deployment issues such as how many troops politicians may or may not send overseas, etc.

To actually answer the OP's question, you will find that the military does typically lean to the right (past surveys of military members usually corroborate this). It's just the way it is, but even if you are a flaming liberal (and I'm not saying you are) I'm sure you'll be fine. I wouldn't exactly advertise this fact among my unit if I was you, but then again I wouldn't advise anyone in the service no matter what their party was to go around telling everyone what edge of the spectrum they fall into. And if it makes you feel any better, while all the services tend to lean right to a certain degree, the Navy and the Air Force usually have held the least amount of conservative tendencies among their personnel, while the Army and Marine Corps are known to be significantly more conservative.
 
Not sure what military installations UHBlackhawk has been stationed at, but I saw quite a few bumper stickers, mostly conservative, at my last base and even more at my current station. Also, as an AD officer I have never heard of any "tradition" of not registering with political parties. I know many officers, both AD and retired, who have done so.



Again, I've heard many a servicemember talk politics, both behind closed doors and in the office. Granted, it was all done respectfully for the most part, but it still occurred. I will agree with UHBlackhawk that is not common to see servicemembers who are far apart in rank or officers/EM's to discuss politics together, but it really isn't that uncommon for young officers and young EM's to discuss politics among their peers.

I think the recent election season saw a few changes, whether they be temporary or permanent, regarding attitudes toward politics in the military. Was it because we had a candidate who was caught keeping classified info on an unclassified medium (something servicemembers would be court-martialed for)? Maybe. Was it because some thought that President Trump was unfit to lead the nation's military? Maybe. But I think you will find that some political issues can't just be "not talked about" in the service, especially those that deal with readiness issues such as transgender service, or deployment issues such as how many troops politicians may or may not send overseas, etc.

To actually answer the OP's question, you will find that the military does typically lean to the right (past surveys of military members usually corroborate this). It's just the way it is, but even if you are a flaming liberal (and I'm not saying you are) I'm sure you'll be fine. I wouldn't exactly advertise this fact among my unit if I was you, but then again I wouldn't advise anyone in the service no matter what their party was to go around telling everyone what edge of the spectrum they fall into. And if it makes you feel any better, while all the services tend to lean right to a certain degree, the Navy and the Air Force usually have held the least amount of conservative tendencies among their personnel, while the Army and Marine Corps are known to be significantly more conservative.

My observations are from the Army.
Let's see... stateside... been stationed at Rucker, HAAF, Bragg, Bliss, Leavenworth, Hudson High... between me and my wife probably a few other places. While I've seen bumper stickers, I'd say most have been on enlisted vehicles.Just on my run today through Hudson High I only saw one overtly political bumper sticker, and that was for Hillary. I think that belongs to someone in the English department. Figures. ;)
While there may be some officers who are registered, I think you will find many are not especially at the higher level. That is why it is such a big deal when an officer such as Powell retires and registers for a party. I was not until I retired, my wife still refuses to do so since she is active duty. Of course, the subject rarely comes up.
I agree about the discussions being behind closed doors and among peers... and pretty much everything you wrote.
 
Heck, West Point graduated a card carrying Communist to active duty, so I would say the political spectrum of the military runs the gamut.

Sorry, couldn't resist after reading some of the other threads.
 
As a current Midshipmen, I would actually like to chime in as well on this conversation. As a member of the United States Military, and a midshipmen at USNA, it is unprofessional, and frowned upon to discuss politics in the work place. We serve the people of the United States of America and we will honor our government no matter what. That being said, the majority of the Academy I believe is conservative, however it is not something you will experience or even notice at the academy unless you approach a fellow shipmate and talk to them about their political views. There is a no tolerance policy towards discrimination, and improper treatment of another fellow Mid so do not fret!

No matter what race, religion, sexuality, political orientation or etc. we are one cohesive unit, and the Academy makes that very clear.
 
As a current Midshipmen, I would actually like to chime in as well on this conversation. As a member of the United States Military, and a midshipmen at USNA, it is unprofessional, and frowned upon to discuss politics in the work place. We serve the people of the United States of America and we will honor our government no matter what. That being said, the majority of the Academy I believe is conservative, however it is not something you will experience or even notice at the academy unless you approach a fellow shipmate and talk to them about their political views. There is a no tolerance policy towards discrimination, and improper treatment of another fellow Mid so do not fret!
No matter what race, religion, sexuality, political orientation or etc. we are one cohesive unit, and the Academy makes that very clear.
Please read your oath of office again. Your oath of office is not to the government "no matter what", but to the Constitution. I know it is being nitpicky, but it is a very important distinction.
 
As a current Midshipmen, I would actually like to chime in as well on this conversation. As a member of the United States Military, and a midshipmen at USNA, it is unprofessional, and frowned upon to discuss politics in the work place. We serve the people of the United States of America and we will honor our government no matter what. That being said, the majority of the Academy I believe is conservative, however it is not something you will experience or even notice at the academy unless you approach a fellow shipmate and talk to them about their political views. There is a no tolerance policy towards discrimination, and improper treatment of another fellow Mid so do not fret!
No matter what race, religion, sexuality, political orientation or etc. we are one cohesive unit, and the Academy makes that very clear.
Please read your oath of office again. Your oath of office is not to the government "no matter what", but to the Constitution. I know it is being nitpicky, but it is a very important distinction.

Belay my last. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
 
Not sure what military installations UHBlackhawk has been stationed at, but I saw quite a few bumper stickers, mostly conservative, at my last base and even more at my current station. Also, as an AD officer I have never heard of any "tradition" of not registering with political parties. I know many officers, both AD and retired, who have done so.



Again, I've heard many a servicemember talk politics, both behind closed doors and in the office. Granted, it was all done respectfully for the most part, but it still occurred. I will agree with UHBlackhawk that is not common to see servicemembers who are far apart in rank or officers/EM's to discuss politics together, but it really isn't that uncommon for young officers and young EM's to discuss politics among their peers.

I think the recent election season saw a few changes, whether they be temporary or permanent, regarding attitudes toward politics in the military. Was it because we had a candidate who was caught keeping classified info on an unclassified medium (something servicemembers would be court-martialed for)? Maybe. Was it because some thought that President Trump was unfit to lead the nation's military? Maybe. But I think you will find that some political issues can't just be "not talked about" in the service, especially those that deal with readiness issues such as transgender service, or deployment issues such as how many troops politicians may or may not send overseas, etc.

To actually answer the OP's question, you will find that the military does typically lean to the right (past surveys of military members usually corroborate this). It's just the way it is, but even if you are a flaming liberal (and I'm not saying you are) I'm sure you'll be fine. I wouldn't exactly advertise this fact among my unit if I was you, but then again I wouldn't advise anyone in the service no matter what their party was to go around telling everyone what edge of the spectrum they fall into. And if it makes you feel any better, while all the services tend to lean right to a certain degree, the Navy and the Air Force usually have held the least amount of conservative tendencies among their personnel, while the Army and Marine Corps are known to be significantly more conservative.


It was considered unethical/unprofessional to be politically active as an officer until the Reagan era. Many of the retired officers I've known have never voted.

The only politics that I've ever really seen discussed are local and state politics, only out of sheer practicality since I'm stationed in NY and people have opinions about how difficult it can be to do certain things here. But nobody really cares, to be honest, about anything else.
 
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