经济学人249:美国下任国防部长 量身定做

 　　America's next defence secretary

　　美国下任国防部长

　　Fit for purpose

　　量身定做

　　Ashton Carter is well-qualified to lead the Pentagon, if he is allowed to

　　阿什顿·卡特完全够格统领五角大楼，前提是他通过提名

　　More hawkish¹ than Hagel

　　比哈格尔更有鹰派味道

　　ASHTON CARTER once urged the pre-emptive bombing of North Korea's nuclear facilities. (It was in an article he wrote in 2006, while out of office.) He also wanted American troops to stay on in Iraq after 2011. Yet Barack Obama, who is hardly known for his hawkishness², appears poised³ to name him as defence secretary.

　　阿什顿·卡特曾主张先发制人轰炸朝鲜的核设施（该主张曾写入他2006年下台时所写文章中），他还曾希望美国军队2011年后继续留在伊拉克。但是，布拉克·奥巴马几乎对卡特的鹰派作风不知就里，似乎准备提名他为下任国防部长。

　　美国下任国防部长.jpg

　　He would replace Chuck Hagel, a decorated veteran with a profound aversion to the ill-considered use of force. Mr Hagel, a Republican, was inarticulate, flummoxed by detail and floundered in the job, particularly when faced with the complex challenge of taking on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Relentless⁴ micromanagement from the White House made things worse.

　　他将取代查克·哈格尔（一位充满荣誉的老兵，相当厌恶妄动军事力量）。尤其是在面对伊拉克和叙利亚伊斯兰政权复杂多变的局势时，身为共和党议员的哈格尔先生，词不达意、为细节所困、工作状态糟糕。白宫的“微管理”，毫不留情，让局势越演越烈。

　　Insiders praise Mr Carter's competence⁵ and experience. A physicist⁶ by training, he was deputy defence secretary under Leon Panetta, responsible for controlling a $600 billion annual budget. Such was his indispensability that Mr Obama asked him to continue in the job for a year after Mr Panetta left in 2013, to help Mr Hagel—an uncomfortable period for both men.

　　圈内人赞赏卡特先生的能力与经历。他曾是一名受过训练的物理学家，曾在时任国防部长里昂·帕内塔手下任美国国防部常务副部长，全权负责6000亿美元年度预算。而这一点恰恰成为奥巴马先生—在2013年帕内塔先生离职后—要求其继续工作一年的必要条件，来辅佐哈格尔先生（那一年对二人来说都难熬的一年）。

　　Before that, Mr Carter was the head of acquisitions, restructuring the bloated Joint⁷ Strike Fighter (JSF) programme and cancelling costly⁸ under-performing or outdated⁹ programmes. Soldiers in the field called him “the Deliverer”, for his ability to cut through the Pentagon's copious¹⁰ red tape and get urgently-needed kit¹¹ to the front line, such as MRAPs (mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles) to shield troops from roadside bombs.

　　在此之前，卡特先生曾负责掌管国防部的科教和采购工作，重组臃肿的联合打击战斗机（JSF）计划，取消昂贵的表现不佳或者过时的计划。在作战的士兵称他为“投递员”，因为他能穿越五角大楼的繁文缛节，给前线送去急需的装备，比如能保护军队免受来自路边的炸弹的防地雷反伏击车（MRAPs）。

　　In Bill Clinton's first administration, Mr Carter was in charge of America's vast nuclear arsenal¹² and led the effort to dismantle¹³ and remove more than 8,000 nuclear weapons from states that had been part of the old Soviet¹⁴ Union. He also helped build security relationships with countries in eastern Europe that paved the way for them to join NATO.

　　卡特先生曾在比尔·克林顿第一任期内负责庞大的核武器库，移除属前苏联时期的逾8000件核武器。他还协助与东欧国家建立安全关系，进而为其进入北大西洋公约组织（NATO）而铺平道路。

　　Although some complain that Mr Carter's intellectual self-confidence and command of the most esoteric technical details can make him appear arrogant¹⁵ or aloof¹⁶, his confirmation¹⁷ hearings on Capitol Hill should be much easier than the grilling¹⁸ Mr Hagel received. Both Mac Thornberry and John McCain, the Republicans who are about to take the helms of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, are likely to see Mr Carter as an ally in reforming the Pentagon's sclerotic procurement¹⁹ practices. Mr McCain, an arch-foe of wasteful²⁰ defence spending, often clashed with Mr Carter over the JSF; yet he developed a grudging²¹ respect for him. Kori Schake, a former Bush administration security official now at the Hoover Institution, a think-tank, describes Mr Carter as “able, intelligent, effective and energetic”.

　　尽管如此，有人抱怨道：卡特先生聪明过人、自信满满，深谙科技奥秘，故他看上去傲慢冷漠；但是他在国会的审议听证会应该会比哈格尔先生面对的“拷问”要轻松得多。即将接管众议院以及参议院武装服务协会共和党议员麦克·索恩伯里和约翰·麦凯恩，二人—就改革五角大楼僵硬的采购计划—视卡特先生如盟友。麦凯恩先生，强烈反对高额的国防经费，常常与卡特先生就联合打击战斗机（JSF）计划意见不合；现在他勉强尊重卡特先生。前布什政府安全官员科瑞·斯卡克，现属一家名为胡佛研究中心的智库，形容卡特先生“能干、聪明、高效、活力”。

　　Mr Carter will need all those qualities and more if he is to make his mark over the next two years. He will want to forge a deal with Congress to bring more stability to the defence budget and undo²² some of the cuts mandated²³ under sequestration. Since the world looks scarier now than it did a year or two ago, the military budget ought perhaps to grow a bit. However, Todd Harrison of the Centre for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments²⁴ in Washington reckons that the political compromises needed for a long-term fix are unlikely.

　　卡特先生若想在接下来的两年内声名大噪，他需要具备上述所有的品质。他将需要和国会达成一项协议，即促使国防预算趋于平缓；取消一些扣押下的托管削减费用。相比一两年前，世界越发可怕，军事预算本应该有所涨幅。但华盛顿战略与预算评估中心的托德·哈里森认为长期的政治妥协是不可能的。

　　Mr Carter will also attempt to persuade Mr Obama and his ever-meddling team of advisers²⁵ that some new thinking is needed to deal with the situation in Iraq and Syria. In particular, Mr Obama's habit of deliberately²⁶ constraining²⁷ military options (for example, by ruling out the use of combat troops on the ground or, as in Afghanistan, setting timetables unrelated to conditions) makes the task of any defence secretary immeasurably harder.

　　卡特先生也将试图游说奥巴马先生和他的干预团队—咨询者们，一些新的想法需要注入，协商伊拉克与叙利亚的局势。尤其是，奥巴马先生的习惯—故意限制军队的选择权（比如，排除地面作战部队或者在阿富汗制定与时局无关的时间计划表）—使得任何一位国防部长寸步难行。

　　For all his knowledge and experience of strategic issues, however, Mr Carter may still find himself excluded from real influence. Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution, a think-tank, says that when the decision was made to get rid of Mr Hagel, Mr Obama and his team on the National Security Council wanted someone personally close to the president who had worked his or her way up through their own ranks. To get a hearing from this inner circle, says Mr O'Hanlon, Mr Carter will have to decide “how much china he's prepared to break and how many political risks he's prepared to take”.

　　卡特先生，虽拥有与战略问题相关的知识储备以及阅历，但他会发现自己依然无法施展真正的影响力。来自一家名为布鲁斯金研究院的智库的迈克尔·奥汉隆，表明奥巴马先生以及其国家安全委员会（NSC）团队决定摆脱哈格尔先生，意图是想选一位—与总统个人很亲近的、通过自己的努力往上爬的—替代者。奥汉隆先生补充道，要想打入（奥巴马国家安全决策）“小圈子”，卡特先生将必须决定“要破坏美中关系至何种程度，以及准备涉足多少政治风险”。

1 hawkish   

adj. 鹰派的, 强硬派的

参考例句：

• My staff's advice that first day was amazingly hawkish. 在第一天，我的僚属们的意见是令人吃惊的鹰派意见。
• Antiwar groups fear Barack Obama may create hawkish Cabinet. 反战团体担心巴拉克·奥巴马可以创建强硬派内阁。

2 hawkishness   

参考例句：

• That hawkishness is part of the reason for the euro's rise. 这种制止通胀的态度是欧元上升的一部分原因。

3 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

4 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

5 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

6 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

8 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

9 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

10 copious   

adj.丰富的，大量的

参考例句：

• She supports her theory with copious evidences.她以大量的例证来充实自己的理论。
• Every star is a copious source of neutrinos.每颗恒星都是丰富的中微子源。

11 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

12 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

13 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

14 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

15 arrogant   

adj.傲慢的，自大的

参考例句：

• You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。
• People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。

16 aloof   

adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的

参考例句：

• Never stand aloof from the masses.千万不可脱离群众。
• On the evening the girl kept herself timidly aloof from the crowd.这小女孩在晚会上一直胆怯地远离人群。

17 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

18 grilling   

v.烧烤( grill的现在分词 )；拷问，盘问

参考例句：

• The minister faced a tough grilling at today's press conference. 部长在今天的记者招待会上受到了严厉的盘问。
• He's grilling out there in the midday sun. 他在外面让中午火辣辣的太阳炙烤着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 procurement   

n.采购；获得

参考例句：

• He is in charge of the procurement of materials.他负责物资的采购。
• More and more,human food procurement came to have a dominant effect on their evolution.人类获取食物愈来愈显著地影响到人类的进化。

20 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。

21 grudging   

adj.勉强的，吝啬的

参考例句：

• He felt a grudging respect for her talents as an organizer.他勉强地对她的组织才能表示尊重。
• After a pause he added"sir."in a dilatory,grudging way.停了一会他才慢吞吞地、勉勉强强地加了一声“先生”。

22 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

23 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

24 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

25 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

26 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

27 constraining   

强迫( constrain的现在分词 )； 强使； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• He was constraining his mind not to wander from the task. 他克制着不让思想在工作时开小差。
• The most constraining resource in all of these cases is venture capital. 在所有这些情况下最受限制的资源便是投入资本。