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.
At the NATO Summit, Europe Faces an Accelerating U.S. Decoupling
English Summary
The article argues that the United States is accelerating a unilateral decoupling from European security, driven by geopolitical rifts and resulting in planned drawdowns of key military capabilities assigned to NATO. While European allies are increasing defense spending toward new targets, U.S. officials are using this friction to announce force reductions, outpacing any structured transition plan for the alliance. Consequently, Europe must urgently accelerate its own independent defense planning—developing a 'European way of war'—as it cannot rely on Washington to provide a reliable roadmap for future security architecture.
中文摘要
本文論述美國正因地緣政治裂痕，加速與歐洲安全體系的單邊脫鉤。這導致了分配給北約（NATO）的關鍵軍事能力計畫性削減。儘管歐洲盟國正在提高國防開支以達到新的目標，但美國官員卻利用這種摩擦來宣布實施部隊削減，其速度甚至超過了聯盟任何結構化的過渡計劃。因此，歐洲必須緊急加速制定自身的獨立國防規劃——發展一套「歐洲戰鬥方式」（European way of war）——因為它不能再依賴華盛頓提供未來安全架構的可靠藍圖。
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