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.
Qualified Infrastructure Authorization: A Blueprint for Faster, Smarter Federal Permitting
English Summary
A CSIS report advocates for Qualified Infrastructure Authorization (QIA) to overhaul the U.S. federal permitting system for energy infrastructure, critiquing the current process as overly procedural and delay-prone. QIA proposes a criteria-based approach, utilizing predefined standards, standardized monitoring, and a single, coordinated review process across multiple environmental statutes to accelerate project approvals. This framework aims to reduce current bottlenecks and redundancy by focusing on environmental outcomes and efficiency, rather than protracted procedural compliance. Implementing QIA would require congressional action to establish statutory authority, define eligibility, and authorize a lead agency for consolidated approvals. The initiative seeks to balance the urgent need for infrastructure development with robust environmental protection and public trust.
中文摘要
一份CSIS報告提倡採用「合格基礎設施授權」（Qualified Infrastructure Authorization, QIA）來徹底改革美國聯邦能源基礎設施的許可系統，批評現行程序過於注重流程且容易延誤。QIA提出了一種基於標準的方法，利用預定義規範、標準化監測，並在多項環境法規下實施單一、協調的審查程序，以加速項目批准。此框架旨在透過關注環境成果和效率，而非冗長的程序合規性，來減少當前的瓶頸和重複。實施QIA需要國會採取行動，以建立法定權力、定義資格，並授權一個牽頭機構進行綜合審批。該倡議旨在平衡基礎設施發展的迫切需求與堅實的環境保護和公眾信任。
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