中英 | 十位前国防部长联名警示军队介入选举的危害

宾州独立厅 雨台 scitizen-editor@outlook.com 2021.1.3

作为前国防部长，我们对美国武装部队和国防部的庄严义务有着共同的看法。我们每个人都宣誓支持和捍卫宪法，抵御国内、国外一切敌人。我们的誓言不是为某个个人或某个政党。

As former secretaries of defense, we hold a common view of the solemn obligations of the U.S. armed forces and the Defense Department. Each of us swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We did not swear it to an individual or a party.

美国的选举以及由此产生的权力和平转移是我们民主的标志。除了唯一一次悲惨的、牺牲了比我们所有其他战争还要多的生命的例外情形，自1789年以来，美国这种和平权力过渡的记录从未间断过，包括在党派纷争、战争、流行病和经济萧条时期。今年也不应该例外。

American elections and the peaceful transfers of power that result are hallmarks of our democracy. With one singular and tragic exception that cost the lives of more Americans than all of our other wars combined, the United States has had an unbroken record of such transitions since 1789, including in times of partisan strife, war, epidemics and economic depression. This year should be no exception.

我们的选举已经进行了。选票的重新计算和审计做了。法院已经处理了对选举的正当的挑战。州长们认证了选举结果。选举团进行了投票。质疑选举结果的时间已经过去；按照宪法和法规的规定，正式计算选举团选票的时间已经到来。

Our elections have occurred. Recounts and audits have been conducted. Appropriate challenges have been addressed by the courts. Governors have certified the results. And the electoral college has voted. The time for questioning the results has passed; the time for the formal counting of the electoral college votes, as prescribed in the Constitution and statute, has arrived.

正如多位国防部高级领导人指出的那样，"美国军方在决定美国选举结果方面不扮演任何角色"。让美国武装部队参与解决选举争端的努力，将把我们带入危险、非法和违宪的境地。指挥或执行这种措施的文职和军事官员将为他们的行动给我们共和国带来的严重后果负责，包括可能面临刑事处罚。

As senior Defense Department leaders have noted, “there’s no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of a U.S. election.” Efforts to involve the U.S. armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory. Civilian and military officials who direct or carry out such measures would be accountable, including potentially facing criminal penalties, for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic.

我们这些前国防部长都经历过，总统权力过渡工作是成功移交权力的一个关键部分。它们往往发生在国际社会对美国国家安全政策和态势吃不准的时候。在过渡时期，我们国家可能处于软弱状态，容易被试图利用这一局势的对手占便宜。

Transitions, which all of us have experienced, are a crucial part of the successful transfer of power. They often occur at times of international uncertainty about U.S. national security policy and posture. They can be a moment when the nation is vulnerable to actions by adversaries seeking to take advantage of the situation.

鉴于这些因素，特别是在当前美军在世界各地都有行动的时候，国防部的交接工作更需要全面地、合作地和透明地进行。代理国防部长米勒和他的下属，包括政务官、军官和公务员，每一个人都要遵守誓言、法律和先例，为新一届政府的上任提供便利，而且全心全意地这么做。他们还必须避免采取任何破坏选举结果或阻碍新班子成功的政治行动。

Given these factors, particularly at a time when U.S. forces are engaged in active operations around the world, it is all the more imperative that the transition at the Defense Department be carried out fully, cooperatively and transparently. Acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller and his subordinates — political appointees, officers and civil servants — are each bound by oath, law and precedent to facilitate the entry into office of the incoming administration, and to do so wholeheartedly. They must also refrain from any political actions that undermine the results of the election or hinder the success of the new team.

我们以最强烈的措辞呼吁代理国防部长和他的下属，像许多代美国人在他们之前所做的那样。这一任期的最后行动符合美国武装部队的最高传统和专业精神，也符合我们这个伟大国家民主权力过渡的历史。

We call upon them, in the strongest terms, to do as so many generations of Americans have done before them. This final action is in keeping with the highest traditions and professionalism of the U.S. armed forces, and the history of democratic transition in our great country.

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参考资料链接

1. All 10 living former defense secretaries: Involving the military in election disputes would cross into dangerous territory. 华盛顿邮报, 2020.01