This introductory book has been intended to set the stage for the reflections on commitment in military systems that follow. The thread that runs through those reflections is simple: commitment of members is a central problematic in military institutions, especially in a volunteer military of an advanced liberal democracy; military professionals must be concerned about the levels and types of commitment (although not necessarily study them through systematic research); and, we must analyze commitment in the context of unique operational requirements of military systems and the process of institutional change. This last point is crucial; if we use the wrong rhetoric, we deny our own myths and become, as it were, part of the problem.