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.
Turkey’s S-400 saga shows the hard realities of defence procurement
English Summary
The S-400 saga highlights that high-end defense technology remains resistant to innovation and deeply constrained by geopolitical alliances, limiting a nation's ability to 'hedge.' Turkey’s inability to integrate the system into NATO networks stalled its participation in programs like F-35, demonstrating the limits of strategic autonomy. Furthermore, the potential sale of S-400 systems (e.g., to the UAE) forces recipient nations to navigate complex trade-offs, risking adverse consequences for established defense partnerships with powers like the US. Ultimately, the saga shows that while offensive weapons proliferate, sophisticated air defense remains a domain requiring state-led procurement and reliance on hegemonic military powers.
中文摘要
S-400事件揭示，高端國防技術在創新方面難以突破，且深受地緣政治聯盟的制約，限制了國家進行『平衡外交』（hedge）的能力。土耳其無法將該系統整合至北約網絡，導致其參與F-35等計畫受阻，凸顯了戰略自主性的局限性。此外，S-400系統潛在出口（例如銷往阿聯酋）迫使接收國必須權衡複雜的取捨，這可能對與美國等大國建立的既有防務夥伴關係產生不利後果。從根本上講，該事件表明，儘管攻擊性武器不斷增長，但先進的防空系統仍是一個需要國家主導採購、並依賴霸權軍事強國支持的領域。
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