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.
Modelling changes to UKRI's Full Economic Costing policy
English Summary
This RAND report models the potential impacts of adjusting UKRI's Full Economic Costing (FEC) rate on the UK's research and development (R&D) funding system. The analysis finds that changes are highly complex and institution-specific, noting that increasing the rate concentrates funding among leading institutions, while decreasing it strains smaller, less research-intensive universities. The underlying reasoning is that the R&D system's response is highly variable, making overall effects difficult to predict. Consequently, the study warns that altering the FEC rate in either direction jeopardizes the overall capability and financial sustainability of the UK R&D sector, necessitating caution in policy implementation.
中文摘要
這份RAND報告模擬了調整英國研究與創新理事會（UKRI）全經濟成本計算（FEC）比率對英國研發（R&D）資金體系潛在影響的結果。分析指出，此類變動極為複雜且具有高度的機構特殊性。報告提到，提高FEC比率會導致資金集中於頂尖學術機構；而降低比率則會使研究投入較少的小型大學面臨財務壓力。其根本原因在於研發體系的反應高度可變，使得預測整體影響極具挑戰性。因此，本研究警告，無論朝哪個方向調整FEC比率，都可能危及英國研發部門的整體能力和財務永續性，要求政策實施必須極度謹慎。
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