As a civilian pursuing defense policy and the daughter of a fighter pilot, I see the divide between the military community and the civilian population growing ever wider. From my perspective, one of the biggest problems fueling the military-civilian divide is that most civilians are far removed from military service. The degree of separation for the average citizen means that the challenges facing a wartime military remain isolated, in contrast to previous conflicts where rations, taxation and the draft meant that conflict engaged the entire population in the war effort.