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I agree with Sig. One of the principles this nation was founded on is civilian control of the military; therefore, it is implied that civilians may direct and evaluate the performance of the military.
More directly, I continuously criticize many people who hold offices I'm not remotely qualified for; for example, the President of the United States. Just because I'm not a career politician does not mean that my opinion of him is invalid.
Moreover, if civilians are not in a position to criticize the military (due to lack of familiarity with our duties and the conditions under which we work), then they are in no more of a position to commend or praise the military. I don't think I've ever heard that argued, because it seems absurd.
Furthermore, consider the following (partially rhetorical) question. To what extent is the average contemporary American civilian justified in condemning the actions of William Calley on 16 March 1968?
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