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.
From Platform Costs to Campaign Effects: Embedding Cost-Per-Effect in Force Design
English Summary
The paper argues that current defense resource allocation fails because it relies on platform-level acquisition metrics rather than assessing actual combat effectiveness. To improve force design, the Department of Defense must shift its focus from individual platform costs to a Cost-Per-Effect (CPE) methodology, which measures investment value based on achieved campaign outcomes. However, implementing this requires developing a standardized comparative cost framework and tiered modeling architecture that the Pentagon currently lacks. Institutionalizing CPE will allow senior leaders to consistently evaluate complex investment trade-offs, better guide force planning, and ensure resource decisions are tightly aligned with national defense strategy.
中文摘要
本文論點指出，現行的國防資源配置存在缺陷，因為其依賴平台層級的採購指標，而非評估實際的作戰效能。為改善部隊設計，國防部必須將焦點從單一平台的成本轉向「成本效益比」（Cost-Per-Effect, CPE）方法論，該方法論根據達成的戰役成果來衡量投資價值。然而，實施此模式需要建立一套標準化的比較成本框架和分層建模架構，而這是五角大廈目前所缺乏的。將 CPE 制度化，將使高級領導者能夠持續評估複雜的投資權衡取捨，更好地指導部隊規劃，並確保資源決策與國家防禦戰略緊密一致。
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