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.
Defeating the Drones: The Airman’s Imperative to Defend from Small Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles
English Summary
Small Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (sUAV) pose a rapidly evolving and critical air threat that traditional point defenses are ill-equipped to handle. Due to their massive numbers, low-altitude flight paths, and rapid innovation cycles, sUAV necessitate a fundamental shift in counterair doctrine. The recommended strategy is a 'system-of-systems' approach, integrating layered detection with both kinetic and non-kinetic effectors, supported by resilient command and control. For the U.S. Air Force to maintain airpower superiority, it must reconceptualize its operations under this comprehensive framework, requiring Congress to provide substantial monetary and personnel resources for implementation.
中文摘要
小型無人空中載具（sUAV）構成一種快速演變且關鍵的空中威脅，傳統的點式防禦系統難以應對。由於其數量龐大、低空飛行路徑以及快速的創新週期，sUAV要求我方在反空學說上進行根本性的轉型。建議的策略是採用「系統整合的系統級方法」（system-of-systems approach），結合層層偵測能力，並運用動能與非動能效應器，輔以彈性強的指揮控制體系。為使美國空軍維持空中優勢，必須依循此全面框架重新概念化其作戰模式，這要求國會提供實質的資金和人力資源來支持其實施。
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