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.
Leveraging the Federal Select Agent Program to Oversee Nucleic Acids: Volume 1, Analysis of Opportunities to Control Genomes, Genes, and Gene Fragments Through the Federal Select Agent Program’s Authorities
English Summary
Amid rapid advances in synthetic biology, which increases both research capability and misuse risk, this report analyzes expanding the Federal Select Agent Program (FSAP) oversight from whole agents to smaller genetic components like genomes and gene fragments. The analysis finds that existing statutory authorities allow FSAP to regulate various categories of subgenomic materials—including non-select agents—without requiring major changes to federal law. Policymakers can establish a lower-burden regulatory regime for these materials, but implementation requires a careful cost-benefit assessment to maximize biosecurity benefits while minimizing the burden on scientific research.
中文摘要
隨著合成生物學的快速發展，其研究能力和濫用風險均有所增加。本報告分析了將聯邦選定病原體計畫（Federal Select Agent Program, FSAP）的監管範圍從整個病原體擴展至基因組和基因片段等更小的遺傳組成部分。分析指出，現有的法定權限允許FSAP規範各類亞基因材料——包括非選定病原體——而無需對聯邦法律進行重大修訂。政策制定者可以為這些材料建立一個負擔較低的監管制度，但實施前需要進行審慎的成本效益評估，以最大化生物安全益處，同時將科學研究帶來的負擔降至最低。
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