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.
Europe Rearms
English Summary
Europe is undergoing a significant military rearmament effort, with NATO allies committing to higher defense spending and Germany dramatically increasing its budget, suggesting a strong capacity to deter Russian aggression. However, this military surge is offset by profound economic and geopolitical challenges, including low productivity, energy crises, and a widening technological gap with the US and China. Consequently, the analysis concludes that Europe will become increasingly inward-looking, capable of defending itself regionally but losing global geoeconomic influence. This trajectory presents a mixed blessing for the US, as a self-sufficient but non-projecting Europe risks becoming a less reliable and more vulnerable ally.
中文摘要
歐洲正在進行一場重大的軍事重建努力，北約盟國承諾提高國防開支，德國更是大幅增加預算，這顯示出其威懾俄羅斯侵略的強大能力。然而，這股軍事上的激增卻被深刻的經濟和地緣政治挑戰所抵消，包括低生產力、能源危機，以及與美國和中國日益擴大的技術差距。因此，本分析總結指出，歐洲將會變得越來越內向，雖然有能力在區域層面進行自我防禦，但將會失去其全球地經經濟影響力。這一發展軌跡對美國而言是一個複雜的局面：一個自給自足但缺乏全球投射能力的歐洲，可能會成為一個可靠性降低、更為脆弱的盟友。
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