The Professional Soldier as a Parasitic Entrepreneur

Abstract

The professional soldier is not simply a military officer, he is also a family man. In both capacities, he is expected to carve a social niche for himself according to his social status in society and to provide for his family. For the average professional soldier, the military salary is unlikely to help him achieve both ends. The salary is always viewed by the soldier as too low, and the expectations of society for him as too high. In confronting this inner conflict, the soldier may feel obligated to engage in additional income-producing activities, such as holding another job on the side, developing a small business in the city, or farming in the countryside. He may even be engaged in various schemes of culturally accepted forms of corruption in order to secure a monthly income that a full-time military job cannot provide.¹