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.
First Trump-class Battleship Could Cost $23.4 B, Says CBO
English Summary
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the first Trump-class battleship could cost approximately $23.4 billion, with a full 15-ship program potentially costing $275 billion. The report highlights that this massive vessel would be the largest surface combatant ever built for the Navy, incorporating advanced systems like electromagnetic railguns and hypersonic missile capabilities. Strategically, the inclusion of this battleship program would more than double the Navy's annual surface combatant budget, signaling a major shift toward high-cost, technologically intensive naval power projection. This raises significant policy questions regarding defense spending priorities and the feasibility of such large-scale military modernization.
中文摘要
國會預算局（CBO）估計，首艘「特朗普級」戰艦的成本約為234億美元，若執行完整的15艘艦艇計畫，總成本可能高達2,750億美元。該報告指出，這類巨型水面戰鬥艦將是美國海軍建造的最大水面戰鬥艦，並整合了電磁彈射砲和極超音速飛彈等先進系統。從戰略角度來看，納入此一戰艦計畫將使海軍年度水面戰鬥艦預算增加超過一倍，標誌著向高成本、技術密集型海軍力量投射模式的重大轉變。這引發了關於國防開支優先順序以及執行如此大規模軍事現代化可行性的重要政策問題。
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