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.
Russia’s Attacks in Europe Are Escalating. Here Is How to Push Back.
English Summary
The article argues that European nations must abandon their slow, reactive, and fragmented response to Russia's escalating aggression and adopt a coordinated, proactive playbook. Evidence shows that Russia's attacks are expanding beyond Ukraine, targeting critical civilian and industrial infrastructure across Europe to destabilize the continent and undermine NATO's collective defense. To counter this, the strategy must be asymmetric, focusing on four key areas: boosting Ukraine's deep-strike capability, pressuring Russia's shadow fleet, utilizing frozen Russian assets as leverage, and expanding NATO's political and military signaling. These coordinated efforts are necessary to raise the cost of escalation for Moscow and deter further attacks.
中文摘要
本文論述歐洲國家必須放棄其對俄羅斯不斷升級的侵略行為所採取的緩慢、被動且碎片化的應對方式，轉而採用一套協調、積極主動的戰略方略。證據顯示，俄羅斯的攻擊已擴展至烏克蘭以外，目標涵蓋歐洲各地的關鍵民用和工業基礎設施，旨在瓦解整個大陸並削弱北約的集體防禦能力。為應對此趨勢，戰略必須具備非對稱性，重點關注四個關鍵領域：提升烏克蘭的深度打擊能力、對俄羅斯的影子船隊施加壓力、利用被凍結的俄羅斯資產作為籌碼，以及擴大北約的政治和軍事信號傳遞。這些協調的努力對於提高莫斯科升級的成本，並威懾其進一步攻擊，是至關重要的。
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