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.
How I Got My Career in Foreign Policy: Vinh Nguyen
English Summary
Vinh Nguyen, a Senior Fellow at CFR and former NSA official, discusses his career trajectory and the evolving challenges of balancing national security with privacy and accountability in the age of artificial intelligence. He argues that while the U.S. must accelerate AI adoption to remain competitive with adversaries like China, it must do so within a democratic framework that preserves legal and ethical standards. Nguyen highlights the urgency of securing AI at its foundational level, noting that technological advancement is currently outpacing security measures and that the government's influence over private-sector tech decisions remains limited. He concludes that both policy frameworks and individual career strategies must rapidly adapt to AI-driven shifts in workflows to maintain a strategic advantage.
中文摘要
外交關係協會（CFR）高級研究員及前國家安全局（NSA）官員 Vinh Nguyen 探討了其職業生涯軌跡，以及在人工智慧時代平衡國家安全與隱私及問責制度所面臨的日益嚴峻的挑戰。他主張，儘管美國必須加速人工智慧的採用以維持對中國等競爭對手的優勢，但必須在維護法律與倫理標準的民主框架下進行。Nguyen 強調了從基礎層面保障人工智慧安全的緊迫性，並指出目前的技術發展已超越安全措施，且政府對私營部門技術決策的影響力有限。他總結指出，政策框架與個人職業策略皆須迅速適應由人工智慧驅動的工作流程轉變，以保持戰略優勢。
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