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.
Defining and strengthening the built environment workforce
English Summary
The built environment workforce, comprising 15.3 million workers across 95 occupations, is foundational to modern infrastructure and economic stability. While highly paid, the workforce suffers from significant demographic imbalances, being disproportionately white and male, and often lacking clear career progression pathways. To prevent project delays and cost overruns, policy must mandate that capital asset owners treat labor market forecasting as core to project planning. Strategic interventions are required to strengthen career pipelines through robust apprenticeships, improve retention, and actively recruit younger and more diverse workers.
中文摘要
建成環境勞動力包含跨越 95 個職業的 1,530 萬名工人，對於現代基礎設施和經濟穩定至關重要。儘管這群勞工薪資豐厚，但他們卻面臨顯著的人口結構失衡問題，呈現白人男性過度比例，且往往缺乏明確的職涯發展路徑。為預防專案延誤和成本超支，政策必須強制要求資本資產所有者將勞動市場預測視為專案規劃的核心要素。因此，需要進行策略性干預，透過穩健的學徒制來強化職涯管道、改善留用率，並積極招募年輕和更多元化的勞工。
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