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.
Cultivating a Warrior Ethos in the Air Force: Strategies for Developing Airminded Warriors in Initial Training
English Summary
RAND recommends that the U.S. Air Force adopt a holistic framework to cultivate a unified 'Airminded Warrior' identity, arguing that single changes to basic training are insufficient for success. Drawing on lessons from sister services, the report identifies three reinforcing pillars—"Tell," "Show," and "Do"—to institutionalize service ethos within initial training. Key evidence gathered from interviews with military personnel highlights that developing this identity requires consistently linking individual roles across all career fields to the overarching airpower mission. Policymakers should implement these multi-faceted strategies, ensuring that physical environments, uniform symbolism, and routine habits reinforce a broad sense of shared service identity rather than just functional expertise.
中文摘要
蘭德公司（RAND）建議美國空軍應採納一套整體性框架，以培養統一的「空軍精神戰士」（Airminded Warrior）身份認同，並指出僅對基礎訓練進行單一改變不足以達成目標。該報告汲取了其他軍種的經驗教訓，提出了三個相互加強的支柱——「告知」（Tell）、「展示」（Show）和「實踐」（Do）——用來將服務精神（service ethos）制度化地融入初級訓練。從與軍事人員的訪談中收集到的關鍵證據顯示，建立這種身份認同需要持續將個人在所有職涯領域的角色，連結到空戰任務的宏觀目標。 政策制定者應實施這些多面向的策略，確保物理環境、制服象徵意義和日常習慣都能強化廣泛的共同服務身份感，而非僅限於功能性專業知識。
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