The article argues that recent executive overreach and politicization have severely undermined established norms of U.S. civil-military relations. To restore professional standards, the incoming Congress must actively exercise its oversight powers, moving beyond mere criticism to demanding transparency in defense policy and personnel decisions. Key reforms include enforcing meritocratic promotion processes, requiring documented justification for senior officer removals, and preventing the partisan use of the military. These actions are crucial for bolstering public trust and ensuring the military remains a nonpartisan instrument of civilian control.
AI below the waterline
English Summary
The Brookings report argues that while AI is critical for modern military and digital economies, the physical limitations of the deep sea prevent the formation of 'kill webs' or a transparent underwater environment. Instead, the future of subsurface operations will rely on a mosaic of loosely coupled, stealth-focused local networks and highly valuable solitary submarines. Strategically, the report warns that the U.S. advantage is eroding in oceanography and that critical seabed data cables are vulnerable to rivals like China and Russia. Consequently, policy must prioritize rapid experimentation, securing theatre-proximate allies for communications infrastructure, and adapting force design to the realities of the physical operating environment.
中文摘要
布魯金斯智庫的報告指出，儘管人工智慧（AI）對於現代軍事和數位經濟至關重要，但深海的物理限制阻礙了「殺網」（kill webs）或透明的水下環境的形成。因此，水下作戰的未來將依賴於鬆散耦合、專注於隱蔽性的局部網絡，以及極具價值的單體潛水器所組成的「馬賽克」式結構。從戰略角度來看，報告警告美國在海洋學領域的優勢正在消退，而關鍵的海底數據電纜則容易受到中國和俄羅斯等競爭對手的威脅。因此，政策制定必須優先考慮快速實驗、確保戰區周邊的盟友以建立通訊基礎設施，並根據實際的物理操作環境來調整作戰力量設計。
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