Are Soldiers Less War-Prone than Statesmen?

This article conducts the first quantitative test of the proposition that military officers are more cautious than civilian leaders about using force in crises. It finds — contrary to conventional wisdom — that military leaders are much more aggressive, presenting data showing states under military governance to be significantly more prone to initiate militarized conflicts than civilian-controlled states. This finding suggests that militaries lacking civilian oversight may not share the  caution often displayed by American officers in decisions about armed action.