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By drawing on the connection between the public and warfare established by Clausewitz, this paper explores the relationship between the transformation of civic life and states’ ability to convert societal resources into military power. Following a neoclassical realist line of thinking that considers internal factors to have a strong impact on state responses to international threats, we look at the transformation of US civic participation as a key driver of change in American warfare. The main features of current US military engagements, namely an all-volunteer force, a heavy reliance on precision air power, and the use of local allies and private military contractors can all be associated with the need to reduce the price paid by the American people in both human and economic terms, even at the expense of strategic effectiveness. We argue that the transformation of political participation in the United States has affected the ability to convert societal resources into military power. This, in turn, has encouraged a reshaping of the military format and the resort to military methods that reduce the extraction and mobilization of soldiers and wealth for war efforts, leading to a new American warfare.