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.
What’s the state of our Union?
English Summary
Brookings scholars characterize the current state of the U.S. Union as a period of significant institutional imbalance and 'dissonance' across governance, economics, and security. Evidence includes a depleted federal workforce due to administrative layoffs, the politicization of military leadership, and persistent household frustration over structural affordability despite moderate official inflation. These trends imply a weakening of the separation of powers and a potential breakdown in traditional global alliances, leading to a more volatile and less predictable policy environment. Consequently, the U.S. faces a heightened risk of institutional instability that could impair its ability to respond to future domestic and international crises.
中文摘要
布魯金斯學會學者指出，美國目前的國情處於治理、經濟與安全領域顯著體制失衡與「不協調」的時期。具體證據包括行政裁員導致聯邦政府人力枯竭、軍事領導層政治化，以及儘管官方通膨溫和，民眾對結構性生活成本負擔能力仍感持續挫敗。這些趨勢預示著權力分立制衡的削弱，以及傳統全球同盟可能瓦解，進而導致更動盪且難以預測的政策環境。因此，美國正面臨體制不穩定性上升的風險，恐將削弱其應對未來國內外危機的能力。
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