19Journal of Military Learning—April 2019
Military Education as a Dimension of
Security in the Western Hemisphere
David T. Culkin
Army University
Abstract
An overlooked yet salient aspect of security issues in the Western
Hemisphere is adult education as a developmental phenomenon
deeply rooted in society and culture. Studying the relationship
between educational trends and security in this hemisphere may
help political and security professionals anticipate challenges and
opportunities in other world regions. e author examines these
key issues related to the role public education plays in western
hemispheric security and conict: (1) security-related aspects of
education, (2) the concept of human capital as a social-cultural re-
lationship between education and regional security or lack thereof,
(3) the nature of related transnational threats to education, and (4)
implications of education for future stability and development. As
a result, the author highlights the linkage of professional military
schools to the development of human capital that has become a
foundational element of national security. Military educators and
civilian policy makers can collaborate to improve collective human
capital within the context of regional security. In this multifacet-
ed and globalized context, leaders—both those within the West-
ern Hemisphere and those who have a geopolitical interest in the
region—in military learning have a unique opportunity to foster
societal development and regional security.
Why is education a national security issue? … America’s educational failures
pose five distinct threats to national security: threats to economic growth and
competitiveness, U.S. physical safety, intellectual property, U.S. global aware-
ness, and U.S. unity and cohesion …. Military might is no longer sufficient to
guarantee security. Rather, national security today is closely linked with human
capital, and the human capital of a nation is as strong or as weak as its public
schools (Klein, Rice, & Levy, 2014, p. 7).
Peer
Reviewed
