In 2005, the Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute was facing so much heat for perceived criticism of the Iraq War that its professors "were worried about what might happen to SSI, even frightened for the organization." So they stopped speaking out. Ceased doing interviews. Tried to enforce a prohibition on talking to Tom Ricks. That's not a good thing. The military needs independent advice and scholarship. Chilling free thought in the institutions meant to provide it doesn't leave anyone better off. Ricks suggests that it might be "time for the commandant of the War College to issue a statement emphatically reaffirming his institution's commitment to academic freedom." Seems sensible, though it's hard to imagine that that will do much the next time the country loses its mind. Tenure isn't exactly the most popular concept these days, but this is why it exists. So scholars don't have anything to fear from political reprisal. When it's working, people don't like it, because it's protecting unpopular views. Later on, they're glad it existed. Tenure, however, may be beside the point. The implication is that the SSI feared for its funding, and that's rather harder to protect.
