The Essence of the “Market Army”

What is it about?

Western armies have undergone an organizational-cultural transformation since the end of the Cold War. Two main themes have been suggested to describe this transformation: post-modernity and post-Fordism. This article seeks to integrate these themes by portraying the new Western army as a “market army,” distancing itself from the “citizen army,” thus creating a continuum between two extreme types. The market army emulates market practices to cope with strategic, economic, political and cultural constraints. The subjection of military values to the market, a post-Fordist structure, a network-centric hierarchy, market values borrowed by the military profession, the convergence of military and civilian occupations, the commodification of military service and the contractual forms of bargaining between soldiers and the military that result—all these typify the market army. Methodologically, the market army is exemplified by the Israel Defense Force (IDF), which represents a “critical case” for testing theory.

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