Hagel and the Veteran Effect: Service Tempers Views On The Use Of Force

Those who have served tend to be less hasty to pull the trigger on military interventions, write Peter D. Feaver and Christopher Gelpi.

Published Feb. 12 2013 4:45AM EST

articles/2013/02/12/hagel-and-the-veteran-effect-service-tempers-views-on-the-use-of-force/130211-hagel-veteran-effect-tease_jgywgj — Win McNamee/Getty

As Democratic lawmakers push ahead with Chuck Hagel’s nomination, critics and supporters alike have emphasized both his veteran status—if confirmed, he will be the first former enlisted man and the first Vietnam veteran to serve —and his relatively dovish views on military force.