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.
Iran’s Drone Advantage
English Summary
The article argues that Iran maintains a significant and underestimated drone advantage, evidenced by the recent deployment of US military technology. Specifically, the US Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drone used in recent strikes is structurally based on Iran's own low-cost Shahed-136 model. This reliance suggests that the US military's technological edge in this domain is limited, forcing a reassessment of the threat posed by affordable, asymmetric Iranian weaponry. Policymakers must recognize that countering Iran's drone capability requires addressing the fundamental technological parity rather than simply focusing on advanced countermeasures.
中文摘要
本文論述伊朗維持著一個顯著且被低估的無人機優勢，其證據體現在美國近期部署的軍事技術上。具體而言，美國在近期打擊行動中使用的低成本無人戰鬥攻擊系統（LUCAS）無人機，其結構基礎源自伊朗自身的低成本Shahed-136型號。這種依賴性暗示了美國軍方在此領域的技術優勢是有限的，迫使我們重新評估伊朗可負擔、非對稱武器所構成的威脅。政策制定者必須認識到，應對伊朗的無人機能力，不能僅專注於先進的對策，而必須解決根本的技術均勢問題。
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