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.
Fast Following: Military Emulation and Twenty-First-Century Transformation
English Summary
The article argues that 'fast following'—the deliberate practice of observing, copying, improving, and rapidly fielding foreign military innovations—is now a core, critical competency in modern warfare. Evidence from conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East demonstrates that military lessons are traveling globally and that adversaries are rapidly adopting and scaling foreign technologies, often outpacing Western military institutions. To counter this, the report advises that Western militaries must overhaul their processes to systematically institutionalize fast following. Key recommendations include establishing rapid acquisition pathways, building intermediaries between users and industry, and learning directly from combat-experienced partners to close the dangerous demonstration-to-adoption gap.
中文摘要
本文論述「快速跟進」（fast following）——即刻意觀察、複製、改進並迅速部署外國軍事創新技術的實踐——已成為現代戰爭中的核心關鍵能力。烏克蘭和中東的衝突證據顯示，軍事經驗教訓正在全球傳播，敵方正在迅速採用並擴大外國技術的規模，其速度往往超越西方軍事機構。為應對此趨勢，本報告建議西方軍方必須徹底改革其流程，系統性地將「快速跟進」制度化。主要建議包括建立快速採購途徑、在使用者與產業之間建立中介機構，並直接向具備戰場經驗的合作夥伴學習，以彌合危險的「演示到採用」鴻溝。
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