Recent scholarship on militarisation suggests that Western democracies are threatened by military influence spreading into civilian domains. I contend that this research has identified problematic forms of militarisation, but that more careful attention should be given to different manifestations of this phenomenon. I borrow Herbert Marcuse’s distinction between necessary and surplus repression to show that militarisation can be excusable or excessive, depending on the context and its extent. Militarisation is potentially harmful and should be opposed when it is coercive or promotes militarism. By contrast, militarisation may be necessary if it is beneficial or ineliminable. A degree of militarisation may be desirable insofar as contact between civilians and soldiers promotes the spread of information, ensures that civilians have some influence on the military, and prevents members of the military from feeling detached and resentful. Some militarisation may also be indispensable for guarding against plausible threats or promoting social stability. Thus, militarisation should be treated as a process that has mixed costs and benefits depending on how it is enacted.

中文翻译：

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必要和剩余的军事化：重新思考军民互动及其后果

最近关于军事化的研究表明，西方民主国家受到军事影响蔓延到平民领域的威胁。我认为这项研究已经确定了有问题的军事化形式，但应该更加仔细地关注这种现象的不同表现形式。我借用赫伯特·马尔库塞（Herbert Marcuse）对必要镇压和过度镇压的区分来表明，军事化可以是可以原谅的，也可以是过度的，这取决于上下文及其程度。军事化具有潜在的危害性，当它具有胁迫性或促进军国主义时，应予以反对。相比之下，如果军事化是有益的或不可消除的，它可能是必要的。一定程度的军事化可能是可取的，因为平民和士兵之间的接触可以促进信息的传播，确保平民对军队有一定的影响力，防止军人产生疏离和怨恨。一些军事化对于防范似是而非的威胁或促进社会稳定也可能是必不可少的。因此，军事化应被视为一个成本和收益混合的过程，具体取决于其实施方式。