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.
Who Needs the Bomb?
English Summary
The debate over nuclear deterrence centers on whether recent conventional conflicts prove the weapons are irrelevant. The analysis argues that while nuclear weapons are not all-purpose deterrents, their primary function remains preventing catastrophic, all-out war. Crucially, the threat of nuclear capability has emerged as a powerful, personal deterrent for vulnerable regimes against decapitation strikes. Policymakers must therefore resist abandoning modernization efforts, balancing strategic nuclear assets with improved conventional defenses to maintain stability.
中文摘要
圍繞核威懾的辯論核心在於，近期常規衝突是否證明了核武器已失去相關性。本分析認為，儘管核武器並非萬能的威懾手段，但其主要功能仍是阻止災難性的全面戰爭。至關重要的是，核能力的威脅已成為針對脆弱政權的「 decapitation strikes」（ decapitation 攻擊）的強大個人威懾。因此，政策制定者必須抵制放棄現代化努力，透過平衡戰略核資產與改善的常規防禦，以維持整體穩定。
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