Fewer Veterans in Congress Than Ever Before: Should We Be Worried?

When Veterans Day rolls around each fall, America briefly bridges the gap between those who've served in the military and those who haven't. But for the rest of the year, the distance between the two groups is far too wide. Dangerously wide, you might say.

In this latest explainer from Newsbound, Chris Hayes, MSNBC host and editor at large of The Nation, lays out the risks of the growing civilian-military gap, particularly as it extends to policymakers in Washington. "If it is the case that politicians who have not experienced war are more disposed to advocate force," he writes, "then there is a very real and dangerous cost to the social distance we now have between our civilian elite and our soldiers."

Read the explainer below:

This explainer is published in Newsbound's stack format and adapted from Chris' new book, Twilight of the Elites, which I highly recommend picking up. To watch him explore this and other overlooked national issues each week, tune in to Up with Chris Hayes Saturday and Sunday mornings on MSNBC.

Check out other explainers on the issues of the day at Newsbound.com.