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.
Innovation Lightbulb: FY 2027 Proposed R&D Cuts
English Summary
The FY 2027 White House budget proposes sharp cuts to federal R&D funding despite record defense spending, which would weaken U.S. technological and national security advantages. Federal research cannot be replaced by private investment, as the government uniquely supports foundational basic research that de-risks early-stage innovation before the private sector can commercialize it—GPS technology exemplifies how NSF-supported atomic physics research enabled critical military applications. China has rapidly expanded state-backed R&D spending, recently surpassing the U.S. in total national R&D investment and systematically closing gaps in frontier technologies like quantum and AI. Congress should reject deep R&D cuts and maintain stable funding for science agencies to sustain technological leadership as strategic competitors accelerate their research investments.
中文摘要
白宮預算案（2027財年）提議大幅削減聯邦研發（R&D）資金，儘管國防支出創紀錄，此舉將削弱美國的技術和國家安全優勢。聯邦研究無法由私人投資取代，因為政府獨特地支持基礎性基本研究，從而降低早期創新風險，使其在私營部門商業化之前得以發展——GPS技術即是典範，展示了國家科學基金會（NSF）支持的原子物理研究如何促成了關鍵的軍事應用。中國已迅速擴大國家支持的研發支出，近期在總體國家研發投資上已超越美國，並系統性地縮小了在量子和人工智慧等前沿技術上的差距。國會應否決深度削減研發預算的提議，並維持科學機構的穩定資金，以確保技術領先地位，尤其是在戰略競爭者加速其研究投資的背景下。
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