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.
Soviet Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Cuba—Cuban Missile Crisis, a Coda
English Summary
The article argues that the Cuban Missile Crisis demonstrated how close the world came to nuclear war due to the failure of policymakers to account for 'unknown unknowns.' Key evidence reveals that while medium-range missiles were removed, nearly one hundred short-range tactical nuclear weapons remained in Cuba, a fact kept secret for decades. This near-catastrophe underscores that successful de-escalation requires comprehensive intelligence that anticipates all potential escalation points, warning that even seemingly resolved conflicts carry latent risks of miscalculation and nuclear confrontation.
中文摘要
本文論述，古巴飛彈危機展現了世界因政策制定者未能預料到「未知之未知」（unknown unknowns）而瀕臨核戰的危險。關鍵證據顯示，儘管中程飛彈已被移除，但近百枚短程戰術核武器仍長期秘密保留在古巴。這場近乎災難的事件強調，成功的降級過程需要全面的情報，能夠預測所有潛在的升級點，並警告指出，即使看似已解決的衝突，仍潛藏著因誤判和核對抗而引發的風險。
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