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.
The Real Lesson of the Iran War
English Summary
The article argues that while air superiority remains a decisive military advantage for defeating conventionally deployed ground forces, it is fundamentally insufficient to force political capitulation or defeat a resilient, non-state adversary. This finding is supported by the observed resilience of Iran, as well as the historical failures in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, where regimes survived by maintaining internal control or dispersing forces. Strategically, the piece cautions that military planners must recognize the policy limits of punitive bombing campaigns, noting that external support and the enemy's ability to operate below the threshold of conventional warfare are key factors. Therefore, achieving strategic objectives requires a shift in focus from sheer military force to addressing the political and economic sustainability of the conflict.
中文摘要
本文論述，儘管空中優勢在擊敗傳統部署的地面部隊方面仍是一項決定性的軍事優勢，但其本質上不足以迫使政治屈服，或擊敗一個韌性強、非國家性質的敵對勢力。此觀點得到了觀察到的伊朗韌性，以及伊拉克、阿富汗和烏克蘭等地區的歷史教訓的支持，在這些案例中，政權透過維持內部控制或分散部隊而得以存活。從戰略角度來看，本文警告軍事規劃者必須認識到懲罰性轟炸行動的政策限制，指出外部支持和敵方在低於傳統戰爭門檻下運作的能力是關鍵因素。因此，達成戰略目標需要將重點從單純的軍事武力，轉移到解決衝突的政治和經濟持續性問題。
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