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.
Russia-Ukraine War in 10 Charts
English Summary
Marking the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion, this analysis highlights that Russia’s military efforts have devolved into a slow-moving war of attrition characterized by unprecedented casualties (1.2 million) and a stagnating economy. Despite minimal territorial gains, Russia has intensified its drone campaign, while Ukraine faces a staggering $588 billion reconstruction challenge and a vulnerable centralized energy grid. Crucially, the financial burden of military support is shifting from the U.S. to Europe, requiring new procurement mechanisms like the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) to sustain Ukraine’s defense.
中文摘要
在全面入侵四週年之際，本分析指出俄羅斯的軍事行動已演變成一場進展緩慢的消耗戰，其特徵是前所未有的傷亡人數（120萬人）以及經濟停滯。儘管領土收益極其有限，俄羅斯仍加強了其無人機攻勢；而烏克蘭則面臨高達5,880億美元的艱巨重建挑戰，以及脆弱的集中式能源網絡。至關重要的一點是，軍事支援的財政負擔正從美國轉向歐洲，因此需要建立如「烏克蘭優先需求清單」(PURL) 等新型採購機制，以維持烏克蘭的防禦體系。
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