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.
Towards a new framework for nuclear deterrence in Europe: European perceptions of Russian nuclear policy and the role of the UK and France in NATO's nuclear posture
English Summary
Amid renewed Russian nuclear threats and transatlantic burden-shifting, the report argues that the UK and France are uniquely positioned to shape a new framework for nuclear deterrence in Europe. The analysis maps non-nuclear European perceptions of Russia’s evolving nuclear policy and the roles of the UK and French deterrents, using hypothetical crisis scenarios to identify strategic dilemmas. The study proposes a structured, multi-step approach for policymakers, emphasizing that any future posture must first define clear strategic objectives, followed by determining necessary military missions (e.g., assured retaliation), and finally identifying the required force attributes and enabling frameworks. This framework guides discussions on how Europe can collectively strengthen its defense against escalating threats.
中文摘要
鑑於俄羅斯核威脅的再起以及大西洋兩岸的責任轉移，本報告提出英國和法國處於獨特的地位，能夠塑造歐洲新的核威懾框架。本分析繪製了歐洲非核國家對俄羅斯不斷演變的核政策的認知，並探討了英國和法國威懾力量的角色，透過假設性的危機情境來識別戰略困境。本研究為政策制定者提出了一個結構化、多步驟的方法，強調任何未來的態勢都必須首先界定清晰的戰略目標，接著確定必要的軍事任務（例如，確保報復能力），最後才能識別所需的武力屬性與支持性框架。此框架旨在引導討論，探討歐洲如何能夠集體加強其應對升級威脅的防禦能力。
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