Policy Implementation in Military Organizations: The Impact of the Key Characteristics of Military Administration

Western military organizations face an increasingly complex landscape of threats and challenges from immense changes in the international security situation. At the same time, they are experiencing still more political and societal demands. Designing and implementing policies to meet these numerous and multifaceted demands call for effective, efficient, and legitimate public administration. Public administration research in military organizations is scarce. This article explores how critical characteristics of military organizations impact policy design and implementation within these organizations. Based on a systematic review of contemporary literature on specific military characteristics, the study identifies critical characteristics of military organizations related to structure, culture, profession, leadership, and management. Furthermore, strengths and challenges related to policy design and implementation in a military context are analyzed and discussed. The article argues that military organizations must scrutinize and strengthen their policy design and implementation efforts. Lastly, the article points to future research agendas.