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 Rise and Fall of American Europe
English Summary
The analysis concludes that the historical 'American Europe' alliance is collapsing, reducing transatlantic relations primarily to military concerns. This decline is driven by the end of the Soviet threat, the inevitability of U.S. troop withdrawal, and internal political friction, such as criticism of European welfare states. While the report focuses on the difficulty of reforming NATO, it suggests that the critical geopolitical battleground for major powers will not be military defense, but rather the robust, yet overlooked, economic and technological links between the US and EU.
中文摘要
分析結論指出，歷史上的「美歐」聯盟正在瓦解，導致跨大西洋關係主要局限於軍事考量。這種衰退的驅動因素包括蘇聯威脅的終結、美軍撤駐的必然性，以及內部政治摩擦，例如對歐洲福利國家的批評。儘管報告著重於北約改革的困難性，但它暗示了主要的地緣政治戰場將不再是軍事防禦，而是美國和歐盟之間穩固卻常被忽視的經濟和技術聯繫。
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