I never got the feeling that Card wanted a strong military government, just that he believed it would be inevitable if the world faced a violent alien invasion.

I never got the feeling that Card wanted a strong military government, just that he believed it would be inevitable if the world faced a violent alien invasion. There was a time that "fighting a war" meant that nearly everybody was involved. The US government rationed food during WWII to make sure there was enough for the troops. They rationed other things as well, such as cloth and metals that were needed for uniforms and supplies. If the world were facing destruction on a larger scale, I have no doubt the military would get whatever people and materials it wanted as quickly as possible, regardless of any official legal limitations. But that doesn't mean I want to live in that world. And, if course, nearly every civilian in "Ender's Game" does seem to resent the military in some way.