C-SPAN’s Book TV recently aired a talk by West Point law professor Tim Bakken on his book The Cost of Loyalty: Dishonesty, Hubris, and Failure in the U.S. Military. Recorded as part of the PageTurners Reading Series, the event centers on a provocative claim: that the U.S. military’s culture of prioritizing loyalty above all else is quietly damaging both the institution and the country it serves.

The Core Argument

Bakken, who has taught law at West Point for decades, argues that the armed services have drifted into a kind of self-contained ecosystem — one that operates by its own rules and increasingly disconnected from the civilian values a democratic nation expects its military to uphold. He points to a gap between how popular the military is in public opinion polls and how the institution actually functions behind that image, suggesting Americans’ trust may be built on perception rather than performance.

The book digs into uncomfortable territory: mismanagement, questionable decision-making from the war zone to West Point, and how the military’s justice system handles misconduct, including cases involving sexual assault and other criminal matters. Bakken also weighs in on several high-profile military controversies, examining what he sees as patterns of institutional self-protection over accountability.

Reception

The book earned a spot as a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2020, and reviewers have called it deeply researched and unflinching in its critique. It’s also proven divisive — some readers, including former military officers, say they recognize the problems Bakken describes, while others feel the book leans too hard into criticizing West Point and military leadership without enough acknowledgment of the institution’s strengths.

Why It’s Worth Watching

Whether or not you agree with Bakken’s conclusions, the talk offers a rare inside perspective — from someone who has spent his career teaching within the system he’s now critiquing — on the tension between loyalty and accountability in one of America’s most trusted institutions.

Watch the full talk: C-SPAN Book TV — The Cost of Loyalty